National Defence Minister Bill Blair has said that the decision to send a Canadian ship to Cuba to dock alongside a Russian fleet was a “carefully” planned move to increase Canada’s presence in the region.
“The Canadian ship visited Havana to demonstrate Canada’s presence, naval capability, and commitment to safe and open waters in the Americas,” reads a statement from Mr. Blair provided by the Department of Defence (DND) on June 16.
“This port visit was carefully planned at Canada’s request, and it was announced by the military in advance.”
On June 12, four Russian naval vessels arrived in Cuba for military drills, at the same time as Moscow’s tensions with the United States and its allies continued to rise over the Ukraine War. While the vessels were anchored just 145 kilometres from Florida, the Pentagon said the exercises “don’t pose a threat to the United States.”
Before heading to Cuba, two ships conducted missile drills in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence.
A DND spokesperson said that the HMCS Ville de Quebec, one of Canada’s warships, and a CP-140 patrol plane had been tracking the Russian fleet, adding the military publicized the port visit in advance.
“The deployment of these ships and aircraft sends a very clear message: That Canada has a capable and deployable military – and we will not hesitate to do what is required to protect our national interests,” said the DND statement.
Mr. Blair’s comments came after Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said during a June 13 interview on CBC News that she was unaware that a Canadian patrol vessel was docked in the Cuban capital of Havana at the same time as Russian warships.
“This is something that I have to look much more closer [into]. This is information that is news to me,” Ms. Joly said.
Conservative MPs criticized the Canadian government’s decision to send ships to Cuba, with Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre calling the visit “reckless, radical and dangerous,” at a time when members of the Canadian Armed Forces are “starved of resources.”
Canada has maintained warmer relations with Cuba than the United States. Following the Cuban revolution of 1959, Canada and Mexico were the only two countries to not break relations with the country. In his first official visit, Mr. Trudeau travelled to the country in 2016 to strengthen bilateral relations.
The United States has implemented policies to economically and diplomatically isolate the island country, which has long been allied with the Soviet Union and later Russia.
