Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
Canada has signed an agreement to upgrade the NATO battlegroup it leads in Latvia to a brigade, a move that signals a commitment to the military alliance even as the federal Liberals resist calls to boost defence spending to two per cent of GDP.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau oversaw a small ceremony as Defence Minister Anita Anand and her Latvian counterpart signed the agreement on the sidelines of a major NATO summit in Spain where Russia's war in Ukraine has been front and centre.
Trudeau said the agreement lays out the next steps for the Canadian-led battlegroup in Latvia, "given Russia's more aggressive posture."
"This is a commitment that the Canadian government is making together with Latvia to work with our allies to move towards and surge to a brigade-level battalion and brigade-level force in Latvia," Anand told reporters afterward.
However, the government says it's too early to confirm whether that will entail deploying additional Canadian troops.
The Canadian-led NATO battlegroup in Latvia comprises about 2,000 troops, including 700 Canadians, and is one of eight such combat units based in eastern Europe designed to deter and defend against any Russian invasion.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed Monday the eight battlegroups will be increased to brigade-level forces, which will mean doubling the number of troops to between 3,000 and 5,000.
Germany and Britain both said in recent weeks that they are ready to lead larger combat units in Lithuania and Estonia, respectively, and there had been questions about whether Canada would follow suit.
Yet even as Anand and Latvian Defence Minister Artis Pabriks were lauding the agreement, they also described it as a first step in what will be a longer process to determine exactly which countries will be contributing new troops and gear.
The new brigade will require not only more soldiers, Anand said, but also additional equipment and capabilities such as anti-tank weaponry and air defences, as well as upgraded command and control units and ammunition.
Anand left the door open to Canada providing some of those additional forces, but said the finer details of building the new unit will be contingent on discussions with different NATO members about their ability to assist.
That includes even the final size of the force, which neither Anand nor Pabriks could accurately describe.
The stock-taking exercise has already started, said Anand, who noted the Canadian-led battlegroup includes troops from 10 other alliance countries, making it the most diverse such unit in the region.
"We need to make sure that we are hearing from all of the member countries, and understanding what their respective capabilities are, including our own, and then make decisions about how we will increase the numbers of troops," she said.
"But as I said, it is very early days."
Simply boosting the force to a brigade level is relatively easy, "but for a real defence system, which we are looking for because of the Russian threat, we look much deeper and wider," Latvia's chief of defence Lt.-Gen Leonid Kalnins told reporters at the summit site Wednesday.
Latvia will be looking for specific capabilities, including long-range missile defence, and air and naval missile defence capabilities, he said.
The Latvia battlegroup already includes an artillery unit of about 100 Canadian troops recently added in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Canada has also promised several senior officers to the country.
The battlegroup is in addition to several naval warships currently deployed with two NATO task forces around Europe along with transport and surveillance aircraft.
NATO has steadily stepped up its presence since the first inklings of a potential invasion in January, effectively flexing its muscle to deter Russia from picking a fight with an allied nation.
If Russia were to cross into NATO territory it would trigger an all-out international war between dozens of countries, as an attack on one allied nation is considered an attack on all 30.
The new agreement was announced hours after Canada found itself in the spotlight as Stoltenberg said he expects Canada to fulfil its commitment to increase defence spending to meet the needs of an increasingly dangerous world.
Robert Baines, president of the NATO Association of Canada, said the announcement of an upgraded force in Latvia indicates Canada's dedication to the alliance.
"This is a strong message of continued support for NATO which will allow Canada to draw attention to the capabilities and contributions that the Canadian Armed Forces bring to NATO operations and which will help balance out the lacklustre metric of our low defence spending," he said in a statement.
Among the numerous decisions Stoltenberg said had been taken by leaders was a recommitment for all members to spend at least two per cent of the national gross domestic product on defence, a target first agreed to in 2014.
"Two per cent is increasingly seen as the floor, not as the ceiling," he said.
Yet while the vast majority of allies already meet the threshold or have laid out specific plans to reach it by 2024, Stoltenberg said a handful have made "concrete commitments" without a specific timetable.
Canada is almost certainly in the last group, as the Liberal government has refused to publicly commit to the two per cent target, let alone lay out a schedule for meeting it.
In fact, a report released by Stoltenberg on Monday projected Canadian defence spending will actually fall as a share of GDP to 1.27 per cent this year. That compares to 1.32 per cent last year and 1.42 per cent in 2020.
The parliamentary budget office has estimated it would cost $75 billion over five years to reach the NATO target.
Asked about Canadian defence spending, Stoltenberg told reporters he understands the desire to spend taxpayer dollars on health care, education and infrastructure. But he said members need to invest in defence as the world grows more dangerous.
"I expect all allies to meet the guidelines that we have set," he said. "So of course, this is a message to all allies, including Canada."
Stoltenberg nevertheless praised Canada for leading the battlegroup in Latvia.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said, when pressed by reporters on defence spending, that Canadians can be proud of the country's work within NATO and in the Ukrainian conflict in general.
Joly emphasized the role of diplomacy in responding to Russia's aggression. She announced Canada will open embassies and appoint ambassadors in Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Armenia, and reinforce its diplomatic presence in Latvia.
"We believe that diplomacy remains one of the most effective ways to support security and stability and also to respond to challenges in a world experiencing a profound geopolitical shift," Joly said.
Stoltenberg, meanwhile, said leaders approved a new strategic concept that will guide the defence of the alliance for the next decade, which identifies Russia as a serious threat to NATO.
The paper adds members "cannot discount the possibility of an attack against allies' sovereignty and territorial integrity."
NATO leaders also extended a formal invitation for Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, and promised a new package of assistance for Ukraine, including secure communications, body armour and anti-drone weapons.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2022.
-- With files from Lee Berthiaume in Ottawa.
___
Do you have any questions about the attack on Ukraine? Email dotcom@bellmedia.ca.
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.