Ottawa questioned why Iranian strike on military hub with Canadian forces was not made public

PM Mark Carney was asked about Ottawa's lack of transparency after a base in Kuwait, where Canadian Armed Forces are deployed, was struck by an Iranian missile.

The federal government is facing questions on why an Iranian missile strike on a military hub in Kuwait, where Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel are deployed, was not made public sooner.

Reports of the strike were first published in La Presse on Thursday.

According to the report, the incident occurred on March 1 at the Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, which is also home to a large American contingent. The report also said Canadian military members were not harmed.

At a press conference in Yellowknife, N.W.T. on Thursday, Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked directly about why Canadians were not informed about the incident earlier, but he did not give a direct response.

“I’m not the only spokesperson for the government, but I just confirm that members of the Canadian Forces are all safe and sound,” Carney said. “I reinforce… which is that we are not engaged in these actions of the U.S. and Israel. We’re not engaged in offensive actions, and we will not be engaged in those actions.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand also had no further information to share while speaking to the media on Parliament Hill.

“I know that (National Defence) Minister McGuinty is following this situation closely. I have not been privy to some of the reporting that has developed, but I did speak with Minister McGuinty this morning, and he affirmed to me that all lives are accounted for,” Anand said.

Canadian troops are not directly involved in the war in Iran, but have some military personnel in the Middle East, including in Kuwait.

In a statement to CTV News, the Department of National Defence would not confirm the report.

“We are aware of reports of strikes in the vicinity of Ali Al Salem Air Base. For operational security reasons, we do not discuss assessments of damage or impacts to military facilities,” the statement reads.

The statement also says that “All CAF personnel in the region are currently safe and accounted for.”

Speaking to reporters, Conservative defence critic James Bezan accused Carney and his government over what he called “an ongoing lack of transparency” when it comes to the war in Iran.

“For this to happen without the transparency that’s owed to Canadians… is really shameful that the government didn’t say anything,” Bezan said.

CTV News has also reached out to McGuinty’s office for comment.