National

Ballistic missile defence on the table: Anand

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 May, 2022 10:30 AM

OTTAWA - Defence Minister Anita Anand says the federal government is weighing whether Canada should join the U.S. in actively defending against intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Anand made the comment this morning as she provided an update of sorts on Ottawa's plans to modernize North America's aging defences with the U.S.

Anand told a conference hosted by the Canadian Global Affairs Institute that the government is taking "a full and comprehensive look" at ballistic missile defence as part of a larger review of what is needed to better protect North America from attack.

CGAI's After War Conference is kicking off! We are honoured to have Minister @AnitaAnandMP to open this day long event! pic.twitter.com/o8TM7U7dpQ
— Canadian Global Affairs Institute (@CAGlobalAffairs) May 10, 2022

Canada famously opted out of the U.S. ballistic missile defence program following an extremely heated national debate in 2005.

Yet the question of whether Canada should reconsider has repeatedly reared its head amid concerns about North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal and souring relations with Russia.

Anand also promised more details soon on how Canada and the U.S. will improve North America's overall defences, which military officials have warned are badly outdated.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Macklem to central bankers: Speak simply

The head of the Bank of Canada made an international pitch to his fellow central bankers on Thursday to forge closer ties with average citizens to manage economic expectations through the pandemic, or risk losing public trust and face an existential crisis.

Macklem to central bankers: Speak simply

Elections Canada braces for pandemic vote

Elections Canada is bracing for an explosive increase in the number of Canadians who vote by mail should the country be plunged into an election during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elections Canada braces for pandemic vote

Back-to-school day for many Quebec students

There was a mixture of anxiety and regular back-to-school excitement this morning as tens of thousands of Montreal-area children returned to class for the first time since the emergence of COVID-19.

Back-to-school day for many Quebec students

Alberta expects deficit of more than $24B

The double blow of collapsing oil prices and the COVID-19 crisis has pushed Alberta into a historic deficit of $24.2 billion — more than triple what the United Conservative government projected in its February budget.

Alberta expects deficit of more than $24B

Spike in requests for mail-in ballots in N.B

New Brunswick's chief electoral officer says there's been a spike in requests for mail-in ballots as voters prepare to choose their next provincial government in the first election in Canada called during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spike in requests for mail-in ballots in N.B

Canadians with disabilities struggling financially: survey

A Statistics Canada report suggests that more than half of Canadians with disabilities who participated in a crowdsourced survey are struggling to make ends meet because of the financial impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.