(Ottawa) The Canadian Armed Forces high command is concerned about not having access to state-of-the-art technological means because Canada is not part of a security pact signed by its closest allies, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The trilateral treaty, also known by the acronym “AUKUS” was announced in September 2021. For many, its objective is to counterbalance the growing military presence of China in the Indo-Pacific region, where Canada has great interests. economic.
Much attention had been paid to the treaty when the United States and the United Kingdom announced their intentions to equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.
But the Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC), Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie, told The Canadian Press that the treaty goes further than that.
“Underwater nuclear technology has been around for a while now, so sharing it isn’t that important. It is more serious when talking about advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning or quantum machine learning. This is changing rapidly. We need to be part of these discussions. Why weren’t we included? Where does the resistance come from? Is this our policy? Are we going to invest? These are questions that raise concerns. »
PHOTO PATRICK DOYLE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Vice Admiral Bob Auchterlonie
The federal government has never explained why Canada was not part of AUKUS. It is not even known if he had been invited to sign the treaty. Defense Minister Anita Anand’s office again avoided answering the question last week.
Daniel Minden, a spokesman for Mme Anand, preferred to talk about Canada’s participation in the Five Eyes, an alliance bringing together the intelligence services of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, NATO and the NORAD.
“We continue to work with our closest allies to keep Canadians safe through the Five Eyes and our bilateral partnerships,” Minden wrote in an email.
The Australian High Commission and the United States Embassy referred matters to their respective capitals. The UK High Commission did not respond.
For some experts, Canada’s absence from the treaty could be explained by the perception that it is not tough enough on China.
In recent months, Canada has hardened its stance on China. He closed the door on Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei for the development of the country’s 5G network, imposed new restrictions on foreign ownership for critical minerals and unveiled a new strategy in the Indo-Pacific.
Vice-Admiral Auchterlonie sings the praises of this new strategy which includes the deployment of more warships and other military assets in the region and greater military collaboration with different countries.
“This strategy and the ban on companies [chinoises] to invest in the North are steps in the right direction for Canada. We recognize the challenges we face. »
U.S. authorities have long warned Canada that it will be kept out of sensitive intelligence if Ottawa does not take a stronger stance against China. This was particularly the case during the reign of Donald Trump and the Canadian dithering regarding the 5G network.
“I work with our Five Eyes partners. I have not noticed any change in the sharing of information, underlines Vice-Admiral Auchterlonie. It’s a good sign. »
The senior officer said he was aware of the existence of a political dimension to the Canadian absence from the AUKUS. He acknowledges that it may not be his place to express his concern about this.
“It’s probably not my role, but you have to face the truth: what is my livelihood? I am the operational side of the Armed Forces. So am I concerned? Do I want to be involved with our closest allies? Yes ! Absolutely. This is important given the technology transfers involved. Canada must be part of it. »