Trudeau pledges support for Ukraine, mum on support for next step in NATO membership
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is joining a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with Canada reiterating its broad support for Ukraine, but not whether it will back a move by Kyiv to join the military alliance amid tensions with Russia.
The federal government said last week Canada will continue to help address security threats in the region, but did not go as far as saying it would throw its unbridled support behind Ukraine's push for NATO membership at the summit.
Ukraine's call to join NATO comes ahead of this week's first face-to-face meeting in Geneva between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, after years of strained relations between Moscow and western nations.
Russia's military buildup on Ukraine's border, Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea, alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections, and allegations that the Kremlin was behind the SolarWinds hacking campaign have all contributed to inflamed tensions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly lobbied to join the military alliance, raising the issue recently in separate discussions with Trudeau and Biden.
A readout from the Prime Minister's Office said Trudeau and Zelensky discussed Russia's actions, and "highlighted Canada's continuing support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations" when they spoke last Tuesday.
Asked specifically whether Canada supports Ukraine having a membership action plan from NATO, a Trudeau spokeswoman said there was nothing to add.
Earlier, Global Affairs Canada did not answer a specific question on Ukraine joining NATO, saying that Canada "remains unwavering in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and the people of Ukraine." It also noted allies decided at the 2008 summit that Ukraine "will" eventually join the organization.
The Canadian government has in the past been an advocate of Ukraine joining NATO.
Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper expressed Canada's "strong support" for the move, extolling Ukraine's democratic reforms and both countries' shared values.
At the time, Harper called on leaders to agree Ukraine be allowed to move along in the membership process and pledged that Canada would back the bid, so long as "the country keeps making progress on democratic reform and opening up its economy."
The party still holds that view, a spokesperson for Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said in a statement.
Alexander Moens, director of the NATO field school and simulation program at B.C.'s Simon Fraser University, says the issue is "one would wish the Canadian government would speak a little bit more openly about."
He pointed to the fact there are one million people in Canada who are of Ukrainian descent, and noted that the country has been a supporter of Ukraine, including when it brought sanctions against Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea.
But at the same time, Moens says, Canada knows it needs to be sensitive.
"Ukrainian membership in NATO could very well be a red line for Russia, meaning a dangerous reaction by Russia, so there is a lot of caution on how to proceed," he said.
"The biggest issue here is how to not make the relationship with Putin worse and at the same time, not discourage the Ukrainians."
Seeing how NATO handles the matter and whether it moves any closer to Ukrainian membership is worth watching, he says, adding that allies are likely to tread carefully.
Allen Sens, a political-science professor at the University of British Columbia, believes the issue will be raised only out of politeness to Ukraine, but that it's largely "off the table."
"I can't imagine anything more provocative," he says.
"It would be among the most divisive, provocative dialogues for NATO to be having at this moment when there are so many other things that this summit has to address, there's so many other things that NATO has to do."
Those include making progress on new strategic planning priorities and modernization. As well, experts say there will be a focus on tackling cybersecurity and information warfare, not to mention the challenges presented by Russia and more recently China.
They believe a defining characteristic of this year's summit will undoubtedly be a sense of renewal because of the absence of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who panned NATO's existence.
"Every member of NATO will remember that Donald Trump called the alliance obsolete," said Roland Paris, international affairs professor at the University of Ottawa.
"Having Joe Biden arrive at a NATO summit and express in unreserved ways the United States' commitment to its allies will be an important symbolic shift."
He added that "the legacy of the Trump years will continue in the sense that NATO members, particularly the NATO members in Europe, are aware of the fact the United States produced Trump … and could elect one again."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2021.
With files from The Associated Press.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
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.
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
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Sunken superyacht believed to contain watertight safes with sensitive intelligence data
Specialist divers surveying the wreckage of the US$40 million superyacht that sank off Sicily in August, killing seven people including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, have asked for heightened security to guard the vessel, over concerns that sensitive data locked in its safes may interest foreign governments, multiple sources told CNN.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year Â鶹ӰÊÓ reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I’m grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.
A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
Heavy metal exposure could increase cardiovascular disease risk, study finds
A new study is adding to emerging research showing that exposure to metals such as cadmium, uranium and copper may also be associated with the leading cause of death worldwide, cardiovascular disease.
Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
Hezbollah targets base near Haifa after Israeli strike in Beirut killed 37, including top commander
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced that it fired a barrage of missiles at a military base deep inside Israel early Sunday following an Israeli airstrike more than a day earlier that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group’s senior leaders as well as women and children.
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.