Canada ready to face evolving global threat: Anand

Ottawa –

Defense Minister Anita Anand says Canada is ready to meet evolving global threats, missile explosions in Poland have sparked concerns over Russia’s war in Ukraine spilling over to NATO allies After a tense exchange between the prime minister and the Chinese president was caught on video after testing a North Korean ballistic missile, a new report from Canada’s General Accountability Office says the Arctic is ready to be probed properly this week. It says it’s lacking.

In an interview with CTV’s Question Period with Joyce Napier, which airs on Sunday, Anand said being able to “walk and chew gum at the same time” is essential in Canada.

“We need to ensure that we have a presence that supports peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, while at the same time being able to contribute to the multilateral alliance with NATO and bilateral support for Ukraine, and that is exactly what we do.” I do,” she said.

All of this happens when the world’s largest gathering of defense leaders in a democracy meets in Halifax this weekend. They reaffirmed their support for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), and discussed such matters as upgrading the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

During the CTV questioning period, Anand said Canada continues to work with its allies and will remain as diligent and cautious as possible when making decisions, especially regarding incidents such as this week’s missile strike on Poland’s border. With Ukraine, where two people died. There were initial concerns that the missile was from Russia and could have been viewed as an attack on a NATO member.

“Of course I am very concerned and have been concerned since February 24, when Russia illegally and unjustly invaded a sovereign democracy,” Anand said. “We will continue to stand by Ukraine in the short and long term, which is why Canada has offered assistance in investigating the two missiles that hit Poland.”

Meanwhile, Canada-China relations have been in the spotlight this week after a video of Chinese President Xi Jinping confronting Prime Minister Trudeau went viral, prompting many to speculate about the state of the relationship. The tense exchange, which opposition parties say Trudeau mishandled, comes just ahead of the federal government’s much-anticipated Indo-Pacific strategy announcement by the end of the month.

“We are ready and ready to go further as we embark on this new Indo-Pacific strategy,” said Anand.

When asked about a new report by Inspector General Karen Hogan this week that said various Canadian ships in the Arctic needed to be replaced, Anand said the Canadian government’s delay in doing so would affect oversight of the region. reiterated that it may give The federal government has poured an additional $40 billion into defense over her 20 years, of which nearly $5 billion of her will be used to upgrade her NORAD.

“We are working on it,” she said. “Arctic sovereignty is absolutely critical as this global environment continues to change. We will continue to strengthen our protections in the North.”