National Defense Minister Bill Blair confirmed he was aware of the presence of Russian warships when he made the decision to send a Canadian ship to Cuba.
“The request was made by Canada through the Royal Canadian Navy. The invitation was accepted by Cuba, and we knew that the Russians would be there at the same time,” the minister clarified at a press briefing in Ottawa on Monday.
Last Friday, the patrolman HMCS Margaret Brooke of the Royal Canadian Navy docked with the Russians in the port of Havana as part of a visit to the Caribbean.
Minister Blair defended the decision to send the ship, saying it was an exercise to “establish Canada’s presence.”
“Our job is to demonstrate our naval capability and affirm our commitment to safe and open waters across America,” he said.
The minister also claims to have received assurances that this was “the exact right time” to carry out this military visit to Cuba, but did not want to give further details.
The event raised several criticisms from conservatives, who are now calling for an investigation by the parliamentary defense committee.
“While our troops lack resources, Trudeau spends the defense budget and sends a Canadian military ship to Cuba alongside the Russian navy to honor Cuba’s brutal communist government,” reacted conservative leader Pierre Poilievre on X.
While our troops are starved of resources, Trudeau spends defense budget sending a Canadian naval ship to Cuba alongside the Russian navy to honor Cuba’s brutal communist government, proving he wasn’t kidding when he said he admires communist dictatorships.
Reckless, radical &… https://t.co/bFkEbVJwjV
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) June 15, 2024
The visit to Havana comes at a time when Ottawa has sent billions of dollars in aid and military equipment to Ukraine to help it fight the Russian invasion. This is the first visit by the Canadian Navy since 2016.
More details will follow.
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