Question Period Note: Military Support for Ukraine

What is this Government doing to support Ukraine against Russia’s violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity?

• Canada is working closely with our Allies and partners to help Ukraine protect its sovereignty and defend itself against Russia’s illegal war.
• Recently, we announced a new donation of military aid to Ukraine, including 21,000 assault rifles, 38 machine guns, and over 2.4 million rounds of ammunition, all sourced from Colt Canada.
• We are also procuring 200 Canadian-made Armoured Personnel Carriers and a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) for donation to Ukraine.
• Earlier this year we announced that we would supply Ukraine with eight Leopard 2 battle tanks, including ammunition, spare parts, and dedicated training.
• All of these tanks have arrived in Poland, where Canadian Armed Forces members are in place to train Ukrainian tank crews.
• Since February 2022, Canada has committed over $1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, including funding for drone cameras, artillery and small arms ammunition, and other specialized equipment.
• We continue to train Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) members in third country locations under Operation UNIFIER, through which we have trained over 36,000 members of Ukraine’s security forces since 2015.

If pressed on the provision of further military aid:

• Canada stands with Ukraine and we are exploring a variety of options to continue providing Ukraine with comprehensive military assistance.
• To date, our Air Task Force in Prestwick, Scotland has delivered over 9 million pounds of cargo, largely consisting of military aid in support of Ukraine.
• Given operational security concerns, we cannot discuss further specifics at this time.

Report to Parliament on Actions Taken to Support Ukraine

• In response to an April 2022 unanimous consent motion, the Minister of Foreign Affairs tabled a report on Government of Canada actions to support Ukraine on August 17, 2022.
• In addition to outlining military aid, the report also provides an overview of economic aid and efforts to track crimes against humanity and war crimes to ensure that Russia is held accountable.

• National Defence continues to provide an updated list of Canadian military support to Ukraine on the National Defence website: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/campaigns/canadian-military-support-to-ukraine.html

  Donation of Armoured Vehicles

• Parliamentarians have expressed an interest through Question Period and House Committees regarding providing Ukraine with divested military vehicles including Bison, Tracked Light Armoured Vehicles, and Coyotes.

• On April 26, 2022, Minister Anand announced that Canada finalized a contract for the purchase of eight commercial pattern armoured vehicles manufactured by Roshel, an armoured vehicle company based in Mississauga, Ontario.
• In early August 2022, Canada finalized a procurement contract to supply Ukraine with 39 armoured combat support vehicles.
  • All of the vehicles have arrived in Europe, and related training was completed in December 2022.
  • The contract with General Dynamics also includes elements for repairs and servicing.
• On January 18, 2023, Minister Anand announced that Canada will supply Ukraine with 200 Roshel Senator Armoured Personnel Carriers, valued at over $90 million.
  • The contract for these vehicles was sourced through the Canadian Commercial Corporation. The contract directly responds to Ukraine’s request for this specific model of vehicle, which the AFU are experienced in operating, and for which Ukraine has already developed a sustainment plan.

Donation of Leopard 2 Tanks

• On January 26, 2023, Minister Anand announced that Canada will supply Ukraine with four Leopard 2 main battle tanks from the Canadian Armed Forces’ inventory.
  • The Minister also announced that Canada will provide ammunition and spare parts, and deploy Canadian Armed Forces members to train Ukrainian soldiers on the use of these tanks in a third country.
• On February 14, 2023, the Minister announced that approximately 25 Canadian Armed Forces members are in Poland to train Ukrainian crews on the fundamentals of Leopard 2 tanks.

NATO Ukraine Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) Trust Fund Donation

• On April 21, 2023, Minister Anand announced that Canada is providing a new military aid package to Ukraine, valued at approximately $39 million.
  • This includes a $34.6 million contribution to the NATO CAP Trust Fund, to enable Ukraine to source 3.3 million litres of fuel supplies, an Improved Ribbon Bridge to enable wet-gap and river crossing, and medical first aid kits.
• This package also includes approximately $2.5 million for 40 .50 caliber sniper rifles and ammunition from Prairie Gun Works based in Winnipeg – including spare parts and accessories – and approximately $2 million for new radio sets installed on all 8 Leopard 2A4 tanks and the armoured recovery vehicle donated by Canada.

• More than $1 billion in military aid committed to Ukraine, including all of the $500 million announced in Budget 2022 for new purchases and over $50 million in donations from CAF inventory.
• Military Aid Committed since February 2022
  • Military equipment requested by Ukraine, including personal protective equipment, night vision gear, medical supplies, helmets, and other highly specialized pieces of military equipment;
  • Leopard 2 battle tanks;
  • Armoured Combat Support Vehicles;
  • Armoured vehicles;
  • Anti-armour weapons systems and rocket launchers;
  • Almost 400,000 individual meal packs;
  • Small arms and ammunition;
  • Heavy artillery, including M777 Howitzers and related ammunition;
  • Drone cameras;
  • Winter clothing and equipment;
  • High-resolution satellite imagery.
• Military Equipment provided from 2015 to January 2022 includes body armour, mobile field hospital, communications gear, and explosive disposal equipment.