HMCS Toronto docks in Halifax after 6 months countering Russia

CTV National News: Home again after tense mission HMCS Toronto was given a warm welcome after a 'challenging' mission to deter Russian aggression. Suzette Belliveau explains.

Hundreds of people gathered on a dock in Halifax on Sunday, to welcome home loved ones who had been away for six months as part of a North American Treaty Organization (NATO) exercise meant to deter Russian aggression.

Children clutched homemade signs. One woman, standing pregnant at the docks, told CTV Atlantic that her partner was returning home with only 10 days to spare before the due date of their child.

While all the reunions after the HMCS Toronto docked were special, one was more dramatic than the others.

It’s traditional for there to be a first kiss before the rest of the sailors get to leave the ship in which one sailor ceremonially greets his or her partner in front of the harbour. Leading seaman Nathan Durette was the first off the ship and he used the chance to propose to his girlfriend of seven years, Alexandra Levesque. She tearfully accepted, prompting cheers from the audience.

“Once he’s home, everything is worth it,” Levesque said. “Just stick to it, stay strong, communicate, love, just encourage yourself,” she advised.

HMCS Toronto was deployed under Operation Reassurance, which is part of NATO’s collective response to Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea.

Captain Martin Fluet said that the navy worked with 13 different nations and visited nine countries. They patrolled the Adriatic Sea, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

“The presence of the Russian’s fleet over there was challenging, obviously,” Fluet said. “They’re putting pressure on NATO but NATO’s also putting pressure on them.”

There will be a crew changeover before the ship goes overseas again next year. This means that the sailors who returned home Sunday will get a well-deserved break.