May 8, 2023 | Local, Other Defence
May 8, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Today, Defence Minister Anita Anand welcomed her Polish counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, to Ottawa for a bilateral meeting.
Minister Anand and Deputy Prime Minister Błaszczak reaffirmed that both countries will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. Both Canada and Poland have been leaders in providing assistance to Ukraine, with Canada having committed over $1 billion in military aid and over $8 billion in combined military, economic, humanitarian, and other aid. Minister Anand commended Poland’s outstanding support to Ukraine, and both Ministers agreed on the importance of the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group as a forum for coordinating donations of military aid to Ukraine.
Minister Anand thanked Deputy Prime Minister Błaszczak for Poland’s collaboration with Canada to provide military assistance to Ukraine. Under Operation UNIFIER, Canada currently has approximately 80 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel deployed to Poland, where they are:
These ongoing training efforts build on the CAF’s previous deployment to Poland from April to July 2022, when up to 150 CAF members deployed to Poland and worked in reception centres that coordinated the onward movement of Ukrainian refugees in Poland and across Europe. Minister Anand also noted that the Royal Canadian Air Force has transported over 8 million pounds of Ukraine-bound military aid donated by Canada and its Allies, and commended Poland for its collaboration.
Minister Anand lauded Deputy Prime Minister Błaszczak for Poland’s leadership in hosting a Maintenance and Service Centre in partnership with Germany and Ukraine to sustain the Leopard 2 main battle tanks donated to Ukraine.
The two leaders also highlighted the Canada-Poland Defence Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which they signed on October 11, 2022 during Minister Anand’s visit to Poland. The MOU creates new opportunities for Canadian and Polish military and civilian personnel to learn from one another, train together, and enable cross-industry defence collaboration to modernize military technology.
Minister Anand reaffirmed Canada’s ironclad commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Alliance, and highlighted Canada’s continued efforts to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank – notably by leading the multinational enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battle Group in Latvia. Minister Anand welcomed the significant defence capabilities that Poland contributes to eFP Battle Group Latvia and NATO’s deterrence and defence posture.
Finally, Minister Anand noted her discussions over the past few months with Polish-Canadian community leaders who have shown remarkable dedication and compassion by contributing their time and resources to support Ukrainian arrivals in Canada. Minister Anand commended the leadership shown by the Polish-Canadian community and by the Polish government to support Ukrainians.
August 31, 2023 | Local, Naval
Today, the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) fourth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV), His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) William Hall, was delivered to the fleet.
December 12, 2023 | Local, Aerospace
Canadian Army will need to spend $220 million to replace equipment donated to Ukraine but replacements could take years.
September 22, 2022 | Local, Security
As Canadians play, work, and explore outdoors, search and rescue personnel stand ready to respond when someone goes missing or is in distress. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the search and rescue community by providing them with the tools and technology they need to best serve Canadians and ensure a seamless approach to operations across the country. Today, on behalf of the Honourable Bill Blair, President of the Queen's Privy Council and Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Parliamentary Secretary Yasir Naqvi announced $1.4 million in funding for Counter Crisis Technology Inc. The funding, available through Public Safety Canada's Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund, will support the development and implementation of a shared incident command system software solution for ground search and rescue volunteers and employees, including police services across the country. The new system will improve ground search and rescue, building on existing technology to enhance coordination between search and rescue organizations, by supporting information, data and knowledge sharing between jurisdictions. It will deliver and support an integrated solution to police services across Canada, fostering mutual aid, cooperation, and improving disaster response capabilities and outcomes for Canadians. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/news/2022/09/government-of-canada-invests-14-million-to-improve-search-and-rescue-in-canada.html