Freeland: There is "Risk" in sending Air Task Force to Mali

By: Rachel Aiello, CTV News 
@rachaiello

OTTAWA – The Canadian military will send peacekeeping troops and an aviation task force to Mali for a year-long mission, the federal government announced Monday, but it won’t come without risk, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.

CAF Special Forces in Ebril, Iraq, 2017.  Canada will deploy four Griffon helicopters to escort two troop transport Chinook helicopters. 

"This is a risk, our Canadian women and men in uniform are extremely brave, Freeland said in an interview with CTV Power Play host Don Martin.

"You can’t take all the risk out of it, and if a country is completely safe then it doesn’t require UN peacekeeping operations," she said, while pledging that the government will do all they can to make the mission “as effective and as safe as it possibly can be.”

According to the United Nations, there have been 162 multinational peacekeeper fatalities since the mission began in 2013.

Canada is deploying two Chinook helicopters to provide transport and logistics, and four Griffon helicopters to offer escort and protection services, Freeland announced Monday, accompanied by Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance.

"It is intended to support the mission as a whole, in the transport of people, equipment, as well as to support air-medical evacuation of any casualties and wounded," Vance said Monday.

Other specific details, including the number of troops that will be deployed, and when the 12-month commitment will begin, are yet to be announced.

"The task force will be accompanied by a number of Canadian Armed Forces personnel for support," the government release reads.

During the announcement, Freeland said one of the government’s key priorities will be to increase the number of female peacekeepers and that will be reflected in this deployment to the troubled West African country.

On Power Play Freeland said Canada chose Mali because it fit what the UN needed with what Canada, a relatively small player when it comes to UN peacekeeping, can offer.

"There are very few countries that have the advanced technical capabilities that Canada has, particularly in the air. So our helicopters are a particular contribution that Canada is one of the few countries that can make, and Mali is the peacekeeping operation that needs them, so that’s how this came together," she said.

In the interview, Freeland said that while Canada’s six helicopters won’t solve all of the problems in Mali, she anticipates the contribution will make a “very significant difference.”

The government says it will soon register its pledge with the UN and the Canadian Armed Forces will begin planning.

Retired lieutenant-general and senator Romeo Dallaire called the government’s announcement “wise,” considering how long it’s been since Canada has been a real player in international peacekeeping.

"I think it’s a first-class decision to get our feet wet back in Africa, in peacekeeping, and in a role that will give us an opportunity to learn and to come in with a high-technology requirement that is a force-multiplier for those 13,000 troops on the ground," Dallaire said on CTV’s Power Play, referencing the helicopter commitment.

"It gives us the experience of how we can sustain forces in the field in a complex area like that," he said.

In November, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada’s UN peacekeeping commitment—focused on training, increasing female participation, providing air support, and a 200-person quick reaction force on top of a previous pledge of 600 soldiers and 150 police officers— during a conference in Vancouver, B.C.

Opposition call for debate, more detail

Conservative defence critic James Bezan slammed the government’s announcement of sending Canadian forces to what he called the “most dangerous peacekeeping mission in the world.”

Responding to the government's announcement, he said the ministers "failed to clearly articulate" how the mission is in Canada’s national interest and questioned the government's motivation.

Bezan accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of using this mission and Canadian troops as "political pawns" in what he called a "selfish political ambition" – namely scoring Canada a seat on the UN Security Council.

"We fear that Mali could become another Rwanda, or a Somalia," Bezan said. "Let’s be clear, Mali is a war zone… and there is no peace to keep."

The Conservatives are calling for a debate and vote on the mission.

During question period, Trudeau referenced his initial election campaign commitment to reengage in UN peacekeeping and said the government will "continue to work with the members opposite to determine the best way to move forward" with a debate on the mission in the House of Commons.

NDP defence critic Randall Garrison told reporters Monday afternoon that while he welcomes a renewed peacekeeping commitment, what was announced Monday leaves many unanswered questions, including how the deployment will be funded and resourced.

"We know that the Canadian forces stand ready to do their difficult and dangerous work for us around the world, providing that they are properly equipped, trained, and supported when they get home," he said.

GoC: No evidence Canadian Made LAVs Used in Saudi Civil Conflict

By: Melanie Marquis, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- The federal government has not been able to determine with any certainty that Canadian-made light-armoured vehicles sold to Saudi Arabia were used by that country to suppress the Shiite minority in the eastern part of the country.

A Canadian Army LAV III deployed in Afghanistan in 2010. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed Thursday that officials from her department did not find conclusive evidence that the Canadian-made vehicles have been used in human rights abuses.

That independent opinion from public servants was communicated to her after a "rigorous investigation" launched last August at her request.

"Officials at Global Affairs Canada found no conclusive evidence that Canadian-made vehicles were used in human rights violations," Freeland told members of the Commons foreign affairs committee.

"That was the independent, objective opinion of our public service and the advice given to me as minister."

At the time, Freeland said she was deeply concerned by reports last summer in the Globe and Mail that Saudi Arabia had used Gurkha armoured personnel carriers, made by Newmarket, Ont., based Terradyne Armoured Vehicles Inc., against its own people.

She vowed to "respond accordingly" if that was the case, but wanted to ensure a through investigation so as to act on credible, trustworthy information.

According to a report in Montreal's Le Devoir last month, since opening the probe, a Global Affairs spokesman said Ottawa suspended all arms exports to the Saudi kingdom last summer.

That included a contract for armoured vehicles designed by General Dynamics Land Systems, which won a $15 billion contract in 2015 that the Liberal government honoured by issuing export permits a year later.

Freeland's office did not respond to a query about whether Thursday's finding meant the shipments have already resumed or would begin anew.

The government is being questioned about the issue of exporting arms to nations with spotty human rights records after another deal concluded between Bell Helicopter and the Philippines has raised concerns.

Freeland is expected to announce during testimony at the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development later Thursday that the government is proposing two amendments to Bill C47 on export and import acts when it comes to licensing weapons.

The toughest of the measures is the legal requirement for the Canadian government to consider human rights, peace and security risks in any pre-export licensing assessment.

In the future, if the government finds there is a "substantial risk" the conditions could be violated, the law will require that export be refused.

The proposed amendments, approved Tuesday in cabinet, are not retroactive and won't apply to General Dynamics Land Systems, based in London, Ont.

On Wednesday, the government ordered a review of a 2012 deal between Bell Helicopter and the Philippine government after similar concerns surfaced.

The government is concerned about the use of the choppers by the government of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been accused of extrajudicial executions in connection with a war on drug traffickers and terrorists.

The helicopters are manufactured in Mirabel, Que.

A senior member of the Philippine military said the aircraft would also be used in "internal security operations," prompting a review.

On Thursday, the Philippine defence said Thursday that the military would not use 16 helicopters being bought from Canada to attack insurgents, as had been feared by Canadian officials.

Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Philippine government could buy elsewhere if Canada decides to scuttle the sale of the Bell helicopters, which he said would be used to ferry supplies and troops, including those wounded in combat, and to respond to disasters.

The office of International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said those comments do not change the government's plan to order an assessment of the deal with Canadian Commercial Corp.

-- with files from The Associated Press.

Freeland: Canada Needs "Hard Power" to Support Global Operations

The Canadian Press 

OTTAWA — Canadians need to spend billions on "hard power" military capability because they can't rely on the U.S. or others for protection, says Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.

In a major foreign policy speech in the House of Commons today, she didn't mention Donald Trump by name, but made an unabashed pitch for the international rules-based order that the U.S. president's America First policy is attacking.

The speech is meant to foreshadow the release of Wednesday's defence policy review, which is expected to make the case for billions in new military spending.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland delivers a speech in the House of Commons on Canada's Foreign Policy in Ottawa on June 6, 2017. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

"To put it plainly: Canadian diplomacy and development sometimes require the backing of hard power," Freeland said in her prepared text.

"Principled use of force, together with our allies and governed by international law, is part of our history and must be part of our future."

She said Canada doesn't need an inward looking "Canada First" foreign policy, but given that the U.S. is now questioning the worth of its global leadership, it is more important than ever for Canada to plot its own course in the world.

Canada can't rely on American protection: Freeland

Freeland's speech is the Liberal government's attempt to define its military, developmental, diplomatic and trade priorities in a turbulent world that has seen the election of Trump and the rise of anti-trade sentiment.

Her emphasis on hard military power is a tougher expression of the country's international interests than Canadians are used to hearing.

She said that notwithstanding the "incredibly good relationship" with the U.S., Canada cannot just rely on American military protection.

"To rely solely on the U.S. security umbrella would make us a client state," she said.

"Such a dependence would not be in Canada's interest."

The speech affirmed Canada's support for multilateralism and rules-based international systems, human rights, gender equality, fighting climate change and spreading economic benefits more widely.

She said Canada played a major role in shaping the global order after the Second World War because the country — including her own family — suffered heavy losses in two world wars.

The U.S. has been an indispensable nation in leading the world since then, she said, but that is changing and Canada has to adapt.

"It would be naive or hypocritical to claim before this House that all Americans today agree," she said.

"Indeed many of the voters in last year's presidential election cast their ballots, animated in part by a desire shrug off the burden of world leadership. To say this is not controversial: it is simply a fact."
"To rely solely on the U.S. security umbrella would make us a client state."

She reiterated the government's disappointment in the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change.

"International relationships that had seemed immutable for 70 years are being called into question," she said.

"And new shared human imperatives — the fight against climate change first among them — call for renewed uncommon resolve.

She also addressed the protectionism — again without mentioning Trump by name — that has taken root in the U.S. and elsewhere, suggesting that stance is on the wrong side of history.

"Beggar-thy-neighbour policies hit middle powers soonest and hardest," she said. "This is the implacable lesson of the 1930s and the Great Depression."

‘National interest’ to guide Future CAF Deployments

By: Steven Chase, The Globe and Mail 

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is being instructed by Justin Trudeau to ensure any future deployment of troops is in Canada’s “national interest” – just as questions swirl over whether Ottawa will still send a big contingent of peacekeepers to Africa in the Donald Trump era.

Master Corporal Maxime Daneau,left, of the 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, confirms plans to delay an enemy advance with a Polish and two Latvian soldiers during a multinational anti-tank exercise, in Pabrade, Lithuania on May 14, 2016.
(Captain Mark Ruban/Operation Reassurance Land Task Force)

The Prime Minister released new mandate letters Wednesday with fresh marching orders for ministers who received new jobs in his January cabinet shuffle. Ms. Freeland’s letter contains instructions for synchronizing foreign policy and military missions at at time when Canada’s biggest ally is led by President Trump, a populist who wants to rewrite trade relations in the United States’ favour and complains that allies are not contributing enough to collective defence.

In her letter, Ms. Freeland is told she must work with Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan to ensure that any deployment of the Canadian Armed Forces aligns with “Canada’s national interest.” That benchmark comes first in a list of criteria for overseas missions that also includes “multilateral commitments and the government’s policy objectives.”

This instruction about future military deployments was not in the mandate letter given to Ms. Freeland’s predecessor Stephane Dion when he was handed the foreign affairs post in late 2015.

Defence analyst David Perry says the new assignment to focus on Canada’s “national interest” when dispatching troops appears to reduce the emphasis on peacekeeping as a key goal for Canadian military operations and suggests any deployment will be more carefully aligned with this country’s most important ally: the United States.

Sources in Ottawa say that the Canadian government has paused a decision, originally expected in December, on where it will deploy peacekeeping troops until it gets a better sense of what the Trump White House expects of allies. Mr. Trump has yet to roll out his plans for security and defence but the U.S. President has repeatedly accused Western countries of falling short on defence spending and has said he wants the NATO military alliance to focus more on counter-terrorism.

The Canadian government, which has already committed to a 450-troop-strong deployment to Latvia to help deter Russian expansion, wants to ensure it has military assets in reserve until it determines whether Mr. Trump’s military and foreign policies could place more demands on Canada, said Mr. Perry, a senior analyst with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

“The reason we haven’t put the peacekeeping mission out the door is they are trying to wait and see how we best fit in and establish a positive relationship with Washington,” he said. “It doesn’t mean we’re not going to do things we want to do, like peace support operations, if we can, and if it makes sense, but if you only have so many arrows in your quiver you don’t want to shoot one now and not maybe have it for use later.”

It was during this past August that Ms. Freeland’s predecessor, Mr. Dion, originally announced Ottawa would commit 600 troops and 150 police officers to peacekeeping missions in what the Liberals billed as a return to Canada’s role as a big backer of peace-support operations. Countries such as Mali, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo are among the locations where Canada has been considering a significant deployment. Colombia was another option on the table.

Five months later, Mr. Sajjan says he’s still trying to determine which peacekeeping deployment would be most effective. “We want to make sure that we get this decision right because any time, I’ve always stated, when we send troops, we want to make sure that they can have a meaningful impact on the ground,” the defence minister told reporters in Ottawa earlier this week.

Separately, in Ukraine, where Canada has 200 soldiers deployed on a training mission, Kiev is coping with with a significant uptick in violence that has generated the most casualties in its war with Moscow-backed militants.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia Wednesday to use its “considerable influence” with rebels in eastern Ukraine to end what he described as “the most serious spike in violations” of a shaky truce there in a long time.

Mr. Sajjan on Wednesday was asked whether Canada will extend this Ukraine mission beyond its March, 2017, expiry date and he said Ottawa was still studying how it could best support Kiev. “I want to make sure that Canadians also know that we are committed to the Ukraine because … the action that Russia has taken is completely unacceptable.”

With files from Reuters