Defence Minister Bill Blair maintains Canada remains committed to reaching NATO‘s target of members spending two per cent of GDP on defence after the U.S. ambassador called Canada “the outlier” in the alliance due to not having a path to reach that target. In response to a question at the defence committee by Conservative defence … Read more
The United States’ ambassador to Canada, David Cohen, says Canada is becoming “the outlier” in NATO following a bipartisan letter from 23 American senators calling on Ottawa to meet the two per cent of GDP defence spending target. “At the end of 2024, the way projections are looking, Canada will be the only country in … Read more
Canada’s defence minister says steps taken last week to modernize the military justice system is part of an overhaul of military culture that is crucial to reversing the “death spiral” of shrinking recruitment. “I very strongly believe cultural change is a process, not an event,” Bill Blair said in an interview on The West Block … Read more
THE WEST BLOCKEpisode 28, Season 13Sunday, March 24, 2024 Host: Mercedes Stephenson Guests:Bill Blair, Defence MinisterRick Smith, President, Canadian Climate Institute Location:Ottawa Studio Mercedes Stephenson: Shaking up national defence: how are Bill Blair’s big decisions being received? I’m Mercedes Stephenson. The West Block starts now. From how changes in sexual offences in the military will … Read more
Defence Minister Bill Blair has introduced new legislation to remove the Canadian military’s jurisdiction to investigate sexual misconduct; something that advocates, survivors and former Supreme Court of Canada justices have all called for. “The proposed legislation would provide exclusive jurisdiction to civilian authorities to investigate and prosecute such offences committed in Canada,” said Blair in a … Read more
Retired general Rick Hillier, Canada’s former chief of defence staff, says he believes the country risks facing “irrelevance” in an unstable geopolitical world. In an interview on The West Block, host Mercedes Stephenson asked Hillier what he thought Canada’s biggest national security risk is amid the war in Ukraine entering its third year, conflict in … Read more
Descrease article font size Increase article font size Canada will donate more than 800 drones to Ukraine that will help its military forces detect and identify targets as it continues to fight Russia’s invasion, Defence Minister Bill Blair announced Monday. The Canadian-built drones, valued at over $95 million, will be sourced from Teledyne in Waterloo, … Read more
Defence Minister Bill Blair says he’s “not worried” about the United States’ continued commitment to NATO and other international alliances, including NORAD, amid recent comments from Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. In an interview with Mercedes Stephenson from the Munich Security Conference that aired Sunday on The West Block, Blair said he’s “confident” not just that … Read more
Descrease article font size Increase article font size The federal government is spending more than $273 million to acquire new military equipment for NATO’s Canada-led battle group in Latvia. That includes $227.5 million for a short-range air defence system from Saab Canada Inc., intended to defend against fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and drones, and another $46 … Read more
The military has no greater responsibility than protecting Canadians, Defence Minister Bill Blair says, and his government will continue to call in the troops to respond to emergencies when needed. In an interview on Wednesday, Blair was asked about comments from senior military leaders who say the government is overly reliant on the Armed Forces … Read more