Yesterday, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, concluded a successful visit to Latvia and Poland during which he met with Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members ahead of the holidays and held bilateral meetings with his counterparts.
While in Latvia from December 15-17, Minister Blair visited Ādaži Military Base (Camp Ādaži), to thank CAF troops for their contributions in strengthening the security of Canada and our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allies. He also recognized the success of Exercise RESOLUTE WARRIOR conducted in Central and Northern Latvia last month. This was the first Canadian-led brigade field exercise in Europe in over 30 years.
The Minister met with Defence Minister for the Republic of Latvia, Andris Sprūds, to discuss the strong Canada-Latvia defence relationship rooted in our shared values. Minister Blair reaffirmed Canada's commitment to Euro-Atlantic security, highlighting ongoing military support to Ukraine, including Canada's October 2024 commitment to contribute $5 million to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group's Drone Coalition Capability Common Fund led by Latvia and the United Kingdom.
Minister Blair also thanked Latvia for hosting the Canadian-led NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia (MNB-LVA). The Brigade plays a key role in NATO's deterrence and defence efforts. Canada's contribution through Operation REASSURANCE is our largest foreign military deployment. He outlined plans to reinforce MNB-LVA with a steady state of approximately 3,000 persistently deployed Allied soldiers by summer 2025. This includes about 1,500 CAF members currently at the Brigade, along with additional capabilities and personnel flowing into Latvia beyond that into 2026.
From December 17-18, Minister Blair was in Poland where he met with Canadian troops deployed on Operation UNIFIER, delivering combat engineer training to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and participating in Polish-led medical training for the AFU. He recognized CAF members' commitment to providing Ukraine with the training needed to defend itself against Russia's illegal and unjustifiable war.
While in Poland, the Minister met with Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Poland, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, to discuss both countries' growing defence relationship. Their discussion focused on joint military assistance to Ukraine and strengthening NATO's Eastern Flank.
Minister Blair also expressed gratitude for Poland's support in facilitating Canada's equipment donations to Ukraine. The ministers reaffirmed their shared commitment to continuing military assistance and training for Ukraine while underscoring the strong Canada-Poland defence partnership based on shared values and NATO cooperation.
Canada remains steadfast in its dedication to strengthening relationships with Allies, supporting Ukraine in its fight for sovereignty and independence, and upholding the rules-based international order.
