What is Canada's obligation under NATO in the face of the Ukraine-Russia crisis?
Canada has been a prominent voice of support for Ukraine in the face of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, both as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and as an ally.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced a $120-million loan to Ukraine to help bolster its economy, and Canada has sanctioned more than 400 individuals and entities, in line with similar EU actions.
Last week, the Ukrainian Embassy in Ottawa called on Canada to send defensive weapons to the country, an action that so far Trudeau has declined to commit to.
Canada’s close relationship to Ukraine is being watched closely as the standoff continues in eastern Europe, with the question – what is Canada, and by extension NATO, obligated to do in the worst case scenario?
CANADA’S HISTORY WITH NATO
NATO has been a staple in Canadian foreign policy since Canada signed as an original member in 1949.
With the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia, NATO members and its allies have placed several hard lines of deterrence against further Russian aggression in the face of thousands of Russian troops amassed at Ukraine’s border.
There are currently 30 member states in the alliance, including Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Iceland, Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Italy, Denmark, Norway and France.
A NATO “decision” is announced only after a consensus has been reached by all member countries.
Canada’s involvement with and contributions to NATO run deep.
“NATO has provided security and stability in the North Atlantic region, North America, Western and Eastern Europe, all regions of importance to Canada,” professor of political science at the Royal Military College of Canada Joel Sokolsky told CTVNews.ca Monday in a telephone interview. “It allows Canada to participate in the collective defence arrangements amongst the various allies for this for this region, and it gives Canada an international profile that it otherwise wouldn't have.”
But membership also comes with adhering to the articles of the NATO agreement, one of which is “Article 5 – Collective Defence,” where an attack against one ally (member country) is considered an attack against all allies, a principle enshrined in the Washington Treaty, which created the organization.
“The article itself doesn't specify what that response is. It could include armed forces. It could include any other form of assistance that's in the event of an attack on an ongoing basis,” Sokolsky explained. “Our obligation is to provide and contribute to the combined military and political activities of the alliance to secure the members and provide stability, principally in Europe.”
NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time in its history after Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States, but the alliance has taken collective defence measures on several occasions, including during the war in Syria and in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Now, with tensions rising between the West and Russia over Ukraine, NATO -- and by extension Canada -- may have a large part to play in what’s to come.
As Ukraine is not a NATO member, Canada has no direct obligation to provide a military response as it would if Germany, the U.K. or the U.S. were attacked, but due to the country’s close ties to NATO and the strategic ramifications of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, experts say that Canada will most likely send some form of support and watch closely what other NATO members are doing.
WHY DOES NATO CARE ABOUT UKRAINE IF IT IS NOT A MEMBER?
Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but has a long history with the organization since the 1990s, with Ukraine actively contributing to NATO-led operations and missions.
Since the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia, NATO has stepped up its presence in the Black Sea and co-ordinated maritime co-operation with Ukraine and Georgia.
NATO’s support to Ukraine is laid out in the “Comprehensive Assistance Package” for Ukraine, which was decided at the 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw, and Ukrainian parliament adopted legislation in 2017 that made it a policy objective for the country to join NATO, which was added to the country’s constitution in 2019.
In 2020, with the election of President Volodymyr Zelensky, the approval of Ukraine’s new National Security Strategy was announced, which carves out provisions for the development of a partnership with NATO and the aim of eventual membership.
Despite not being a member of NATO, Sokolsky said Ukraine has a special relationship with the organization that explains why Canada and other NATO members and allies are keen to support it.
“It's the way in which Russia is conducting its policy, essentially threatening a sovereign country in Europe, on NATO's border, dictating terms that it should not join NATO,” Sokolsky said. “The concern here is, is this just the beginning of pressure that could be mounted on countries which are NATO members, particularly the very vulnerable Baltic States? What confidence will these countries have in the alliance if efforts aren't made to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine?”
Sokolsky said if Russia is allowed to dictate to Ukraine what it can and cannot do, it raises questions about the veracity and effectiveness of NATO going forward.
Sokolsky’s sentiments were echoed by Aurel Braun, professor of international relations and political science at the University of Toronto and associate with the Davis Centre for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, in a telephone interview with CTVNews.ca Monday.
“Any further attack on Ukraine, is viewed as an enormous threat by many of the NATO states that are on the borders of what was the Soviet Union or some of them were part of the Soviet Union,” Braun said. “We need to understand that the alliance provides security for everyone …we live in a globalized system. What happens in little Estonia will be felt in Canada eventually, just not immediately.”
Braun said it would be wise for Canada to do the maximum it can for Ukraine as an important signal of deterrence to the Russians.
Braun describes deterrence in relation to NATO, Ukraine and Russia as a “psychological relationship,” operating on the premise that it is an attempt to get the opposing party to engage in a rational calculation that would come to the conclusion that any act of aggression that they engage in will incur costs that outweigh the possible benefits.
“Russians have massed huge forces around Ukraine. Ready to invade. That's like holding a gun to your head,” Braun said.
”We don't have the same obligations with Ukraine as we have towards NATO member countries, [but] abandoning Ukraine would do enormous damage to all the other NATO states in Eastern Europe and ultimately to us as well as they say…we have a dog in the race," he continued. "It's not just that we have a large ethnic population and we have a soft spot for Ukraine. This is called strategic thinking.”
WILL CANADA DEPLOY TROOPS TO UKRAINE UNDER NATO?
A big question is what NATO and Canada will do if the Ukraine-Russia crisis escalates – either with strikes against Ukraine or an invasion.
Canada has more than 500 troops stationed near Riga, Latvia, as part of Operation REASSURANCE. Canadian troops are leading a NATO Battle Group which forms the core of the organization’s presence in eastern Europe in response to Russian aggression and Crimea’s annexation.
“Canada's already on the ground in the vicinity,” Sokolsky said of Canadian troops’ potential contribution to Ukraine. “I suspect that we may have some reinforcement of the position in Latvia, but we don’t have the large number of forces that we would send troops into the Baltic…we are already on the front line if we are in Latvia.”
Sokolsky posited that Canada may send planes or ships to NATO bases, but said the prospect is unlikely of “direct intervention,” or Canadian soldiers fighting on the front lines in Ukraine against Russia.
“I don’t think any ally is going to do that, including the United States,” he said, “If the Europeans should move, the French, the British, the Germans –after all this is in their backyard – I think Canada will take its cue from what other allies are going to do.”
Braun said Canada’s commitment to Ukraine through military training via Operation UNIFIER with approximately 200 troops deployed every six months is a “limited but valuable role.”
The military operation currently works as a support mission to Ukrainian Security Forces with training and non-lethal military gear such as communications systems, mobile field hospitals, explosive disposal equipment and medical kits.
“It's not that we have a military commitment inside Ukraine,” Braun said of Canada and Ukraine’s relationship. ”We've provided significant economic aid to Ukraine, adding up to a billion dollars over many years because Ukraine has been struggling economically…The West needs to do whatever it can to deter that invasion. So the help to give Ukraine is not only substantive, it's also symbolic.”
----
Edited by CTVNews.ca Producer Sonja Puzic
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Local Spotlight
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Investigating the tale of Winnipeg's long-running mystery bookstore
Whether passionate about Poirot or hungry for Holmes, Winnipeg mystery obsessives have had a local haunt for over 30 years in which to search out their latest page-turners.
'Love has no boundaries': Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Twin Alberta Ballet dancers retire after 15 years with company
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Here's how one of Sask.'s largest power plants was knocked out for 73 days, and what it took to fix it
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
Quebec police officer anonymously donates kidney, changes schoolteacher's life
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.