Date of publication: 05 Apr 2022 • 1 hour ago • 4 minutes reading • 116 comments The Minister of Defense Anita Anand during a visit on March 8 to Canadian soldiers serving in Latvia. Shortly after her return, Anand announced that it would introduce “aggressive” proposals to boost Canada’s defense spending in the next federal budget. Photo by Toms Norde / AFP / Getty Images
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On March 22, Defense Minister Anita Anand received a proposal from a group of industry executives to help Ukraine defend the Odessa region from a Russian amphibious attack.
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The plan, presented in a newsletter received by the National Post, supported the supply to Ukraine of Harpoon Block 11 anti-ship missiles from the Royal Canadian Navy stockpile to assist in coastal defense. Officials urged the minister to move quickly so that the missiles could be sent “in days, not weeks.” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson certainly likes the logic, telling ministers this week that he wants to arm Ukrainians with Harpoon missiles to help protect Odessa. However, two weeks after the Canadian proposal was submitted, there was no progress in sending the only weapons system in Canadian stockpile that could make a difference on the ground in Ukraine. It is characteristic of Canada’s sluggish response to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s calls for weapons in defense of his homeland.
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“Canada will send more lethal equipment to Ukraine and will continue to have close contact with Ukraine on its evolving needs,” said Sabrina Kim, Anand’s communications director. Asked specifically if any of the systems currently in Canadian stock are being considered for export, Kim said there was nothing to add to what Justin Trinto had said publicly at the recent NATO summit. In Brussels, Trinto said Canada was considering buying more weapons because its own stock was depleted. Conservative MP James Bezan, who co-sponsored the Harpoon plan with Anand, said Canada’s response to Ukraine’s demands had been paralyzed by bureaucracy and a lack of political leadership. “They are dragging their feet in the hope that the war will end and Canada will be considered to have done enough,” he said.
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The newsletter suggested loading the Harpoons on flatbed trailers. acquisition of Canadian UAV drones in Calgary to assist with surveillance and targeting; and purchase of command and control trucks associated with commercially available radar products sold by Canadian company MDA. The plan also includes the provision of training for members of Ukraine. The preferred option is to transport the entire kit to Romania on an RCAF C-17 transport aircraft and transport it to the border with Ukraine. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. The impact could help the Russians prevent an amphibious landing on the Black Sea coast, which many see as their next target, proponents of the plan say.
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On Sunday, Russian jets and warships attacked an oil refinery and fuel storage facility in the Odessa region. A visibly upset Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the press in the ruined city of Bucha, northwest of Kiev, on April 4, 2022. Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP via Getty Images The Harpoon is designed to be launched from ships, submarines, aircraft or road trailers. “What is being proposed is in line with the original design of the system,” the statement said. The United States recently entered into a contract with Taiwan for the supply of 100 Harpoon batteries for coastal defense. Canada uses the system on 12 Halifax-class frigates, but is scheduled to be replaced by more advanced missiles. About 120 of the 200 rockets in Canada stockpile are currently in storage. Bezan said part of the bureaucratic objection to Ukraine’s supplies was that the Ministry of National Defense did not want to abandon its supplies. But he said the briefing made it clear that these supplies were in storage.
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What to do with all this? The fog of war extends to diplomatic and military initiatives in Canada. Anand’s department is clearly working on something, and Harpoons may be part of that plan, despite official denials. What can be said is that Canada’s response to the supply of defense weapons to Ukraine was half-hearted, starting with the invasion of Crimea in 2014. The deadly aid sent so far consists mainly of old Carl Gustav anti-tank weapons and L3Harris Wescam surveillance cameras. It is understood that Zelensky asked Trinto privately in a recent call to send the Harpoon systems, as he made public when he spoke to the Norwegian parliament late last month. “Freedom must not be armed worse than tyranny,” he said.
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This message resonates with our allies. “We are not sending our prayers, we are sending our weapons; and we will send our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters as well,” said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, responding to Zelensky’s speech. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was photographed with Prime Minister Justin Trinto during a 2019 meeting in Toronto, where the issues discussed included “the possibility of Russian aggression.” Photo from the Office of the President of Ukraine Canada is limited in what it can offer. This country sent a combat team to Latvia without air defense, relying on allies such as the Czechs to provide this critical coverage. But it has exactly what Zelenskyy wants, as the battle for Ukraine enters a new phase. The people behind the plan are serious, experienced and expert in their fields. They believe it is realistic to assemble and ship the systems within seven days of receiving the green light, without diminishing Canada’s ability to defend itself (the plan calls for the development of 24 of Canada’s 200 units). As the scale of the Russian atrocities in Bukha became known on Sunday, Trinto condemned the incident, saying “Canada will continue to do what it can for the people of Ukraine.” But words and a vague commitment to future support are not enough. I asked Anand’s office why Canada does not send Harpoon missile systems to Ukraine, even though Zelenskyy requested them from Trudeau and most of them are in stock? The government had no answer.
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