Since Wednesday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have been carrying out searches in the Quebec region, including on the grounds of the Valcartier military base, as part of a criminal investigation affecting national security.
“These are searches during an investigation. The Canadian Armed Forces are working with us. There are no arrests, only detentions: investigators are meeting people at the moment,” explained Erique Gasse, spokesperson for the RCMP.
“We can confirm that the military police are supporting the RCMP in this investigation,” added Andrée-Anne Poulin, spokesperson for National Defense.
The investigation is being led by the Integrated National Security Team (INST). The RCMP refused to say more about the suspects who are in their sights, but according to our information, they are people adhering to a far-right movement.
Mr. Gasse clarified that on the grounds of the military base, it was a vehicle arriving from outside and not a military building that was the subject of a search.
Neither the police nor National Defense wanted to confirm whether the people targeted are military personnel. In addition to members of the Armed Forces, many other people may have reason to be at the military base, including civilians and military family members.
In 2003, the former Counter-Terrorism Service of the Sûreté du Québec carried out a search in Valcartier as part of an investigation into a far-right group, but its target turned out to be the son of ‘a soldier based there. No active member of the Canadian Armed Forces had been arrested.