Defence Minister Bill Blair unveiled Monday $7.9 billion in new spending on the Canadian Armed Forces over the next five years in a long-promised update to Canada’s defence policy, but this will still not meet the country’s target under NATO. By the end of the new five-year plan in the 2029-30 fiscal year, Canada is … Read more
By Staff The Canadian Press Posted April 8, 2024 7:25 am 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Defence Minister Bill Blair is set to release the long-awaited update to Canada’s defence policy Monday morning in Trenton, Ont. The policy has been in the works since shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion … Read more
Canada’s defence minister says steps taken last week to modernize the military justice system is part of an overhaul of military culture that is crucial to reversing the “death spiral” of shrinking recruitment. “I very strongly believe cultural change is a process, not an event,” Bill Blair said in an interview on The West Block … Read more
THE WEST BLOCKEpisode 28, Season 13Sunday, March 24, 2024 Host: Mercedes Stephenson Guests:Bill Blair, Defence MinisterRick Smith, President, Canadian Climate Institute Location:Ottawa Studio Mercedes Stephenson: Shaking up national defence: how are Bill Blair’s big decisions being received? I’m Mercedes Stephenson. The West Block starts now. From how changes in sexual offences in the military will … Read more
Defence Minister Bill Blair has introduced new legislation to remove the Canadian military’s jurisdiction to investigate sexual misconduct; something that advocates, survivors and former Supreme Court of Canada justices have all called for. “The proposed legislation would provide exclusive jurisdiction to civilian authorities to investigate and prosecute such offences committed in Canada,” said Blair in a … Read more
Retired general Rick Hillier, Canada’s former chief of defence staff, says he believes the country risks facing “irrelevance” in an unstable geopolitical world. In an interview on The West Block, host Mercedes Stephenson asked Hillier what he thought Canada’s biggest national security risk is amid the war in Ukraine entering its third year, conflict in … Read more
Canada will donate more than 800 drones to Ukraine that will help its military forces detect and identify targets as it continues to fight Russia’s invasion, Defence Minister Bill Blair announced Monday. The Canadian-built drones, valued at over $95 million, will be sourced from Teledyne in Waterloo, Ont. Deliveries to Ukraine’s forces will begin as … Read more
Defence Minister Bill Blair says he’s “not worried” about the United States’ continued commitment to NATO and other international alliances, including NORAD, amid recent comments from Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. In an interview with Mercedes Stephenson from the Munich Security Conference that aired Sunday on The West Block, Blair said he’s “confident” not just that … Read more
Descrease article font size Increase article font size The federal government is spending more than $273 million to acquire new military equipment for NATO’s Canada-led battle group in Latvia. That includes $227.5 million for a short-range air defence system from Saab Canada Inc., intended to defend against fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and drones, and another $46 … Read more
Three retired Canadian defence leaders say chief of defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre making the right move in sharing public statements about the challenges facing the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) around personnel shortages, aging equipment and operational readiness. This level of candor is not usually seen among military leaders when it comes to sharing issues … Read more
