Canada to 'significantly' enhance military presence in Indo-Pacific region: Anand

Defence Minister Anita Anand says Canada is committed to the support of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, and is reinforcing its military presence in the region.
Speaking in Singapore at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual intergovernmental security conference, Anand announced Canada will significantly enhance its military presence in the Indo-Pacific through Operation Horizon.
Anand says the new operation will replace the Indo-Pacific portion of Canada's existing Operation Projection.
It will involve the annual deployment of an additional warship to the region, increased Canadian participation in international exercises, and strengthened relationships with regional partners through increased security co-operation.
Currently there are two Canadian military ships in the region, HMCS Montreal and the support ship MV Asterix.
Anand says the new operation will empower Canada to play a more active role in contributing to regional security.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2023.
IN DEPTH

As it happened: Zelenskyy visits Canada, addresses Parliament as PM pledges $650M in Ukraine aid
During his historic visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered repeated thanks to Canada for its continued support for his country as it continues to defend itself from Russia's invasion. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada will be making a $650 million 'multi-year commitment' for further Ukraine aid. Recap CTVNews.ca's minute-by-minute updates.
ANALYSIS What do the policies Poilievre's party passed say about the Conservatives' future?
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spent the summer speaking about housing affordability, a core focus that attendees at the party's Quebec City convention were quick to praise him for. But by the end of the weekend, delegates opted to instead pass policies on contentious social issues. What does that say about the Conservatives' future?
Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau separating, after 18 years of marriage
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife are separating after 18 years of marriage, and while they plan to co-parent their children, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau will no longer be considered the prime minister's spouse in any official capacity.
'A very retro, family-oriented message': New ads aim to reframe Poilievre
With a steady lead in the polls and a healthy war chest of political donations, the Conservative Party is rolling out a trio of new advertisements that are being viewed as aiming to redefine and soften Pierre Poilievre's image and messaging.
Seven rookies promoted, most ministers reassigned in major Trudeau cabinet shuffle
In a major cabinet shuffle on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promoted seven rookies to his front bench, dropped seven ministers, and reassigned the majority of cabinet roles. In a ceremony at Rideau Hall, Trudeau orchestrated one of, if not the most consequential reconfigurations to his cabinet since 2015.
Opinion

OPINION Don Martin: Canada is back on the world stage. And mostly alone.
Justin Trudeau got one promise right: Canada is back on the world stage. Sadly, it’s for all the wrong reasons, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion Don Martin: Nice try, Prime Minister Trudeau. But it's too little, too late
Nice try, prime minister. But likely too little, too late and too transparently desperate to serve as a realistic government-salvage strategy, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre doesn't feel your pain, but he's sure good at communicating it
Probably no other leader, including Justin Trudeau, has landed in a party leadership with less real-world work experience than Pierre Poilievre, says Don Martin in a column for CTVNews.ca. But Poilievre's an able communicator, and this weekend's Conservative convention is a golden opportunity for him to sell himself as PM-in-waiting.
opinion Don Martin: Who will step up to have 'The Talk' with Trudeau?
Ego and vanity are a potent combination in leadership politics, and in his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin writes this condition is infecting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's mindset as he seems deadly serious about seeking re-election in 2025.
opinion Don Martin: I've never seen anything quite like the control-everything regime of Trudeau's government
Voters in four byelections delivered status quo results on Monday that show, if you squint hard enough, that the severely tainted Liberal brand has staying power while the Conservatives aren’t resurging enough to threaten as a majority-government-in-waiting, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Poilievre calls for Trudeau to apologize over Speaker's Nazi invite as MPs begin jockeying for the job
While Anthony Rota won't be in the big chair presiding over House of Commons proceedings on Wednesday, it is his last sitting day holding the title of Speaker and already the jockeying for his job has begun. And while some of the initial acrimony has calmed, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is continuing to push for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to apologize on Canada's behalf.
Password sharing will no longer be an option for Disney+ users. Here’s when
Streaming platform Disney+ is updating its subscriber agreement and is adding a no-sharing passwords policy.
Details leading up to Hardeep Singh Nijjar's death revealed
A long-time, close friend of Hardeep Singh Nijjar says the Sikh activist found a tracking device underneath his car before he was killed outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in June.
U.S. soldier who sprinted into North Korea 2 months ago is in American custody, officials say
The U.S. soldier who sprinted into North Korea across the heavily fortified border between the Koreas two months ago was released into American custody Wednesday, according to two officials.
Hundreds of derelict vessels removed from Canadian waters, Coast Guard says
The Canadian Coast Guard is working its way through a Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act inventory, armed with the power to fine owners of vessels that threaten marine environments or public safety.
Ontario widower stuck with US$100K+ medical bill after late wife hospitalized on vacation
An Ontario widower, still grieving his wife's death, is unsure how to pay for a medical bill from their last vacation to Florida, which costs more than US$124,000.
Company at centre of E. coli outbreak at Calgary daycares faces licensing charges
The City of Calgary says it has charged a catering company and school lunch delivery service provider at the centre of an E. coli outbreak affecting several daycares, as health authorities zeroed in on a likely source of the infections.
ER doctor challenging 'toxic environment' in Ontario hospital after secret investigation based on unfounded murder allegation
After more than 30 years of caring for critically ill patients in emergency and intensive care, Dr. Scott Anderson is preparing to face off against the hospital where he works in London, Ont., in a case described as "unusual" by lawyers and potentially costly for Ontario taxpayers.
Hyundai and Kia recall nearly 3.4 million U.S. vehicles due to fire risk and urge owners to park outdoors
Hyundai and Kia are recalling nearly 3.4 million vehicles and telling owners to park them outside due to the risk of engine compartment fires.