Canada to Deploy Two More Warships to Search for Mines in European Waters

HMCS Fredericton is on manoeuvres in Frobisher Bay at the southern tip of Baffin Island, taking part in a sovereignty exercise in a file photo. (Michel Comte/AFP via Getty Images)

Canada is deploying two Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) warships from their home port of Halifax to join a NATO maritime operation to clear mines in northern Europe.

Defence Minister Anita Anand made the announcement at a news conference in London, U.K., on June 29, alongside her British counterpart, Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace.

His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Shawinigan and HMCS Summerside will deploy on July 3 to join the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) based in Latvia on Operation Reassurance.

Anand said the mine countermeasures group was established in 1973 to clear World War II mines from the English Channel. The Canadian ships will patrol northern waters in Europe and hunt for sea mines.

“In addition to our efforts at sea, we are going to continue to be part of this high-readiness task group with a long history of clearing ordinance from the seas, making maritime routes safer for all maritime activity,” Anand said.

“This shows Canada’s continuing commitment to NATO and the presence of these ships will strengthen security in European waters.”

Both ships have Royal Canadian Navy clearance diving teams on board, as well as mine countermeasure search capabilities using autonomous underwater vehicles, the federal government said in a June 29 news release.

“The contribution of two Kingston-class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDV) to SNMCMG1 demonstrates Canada’s ongoing commitment to NATO’s high readiness continuous at-sea presence, and the Royal Canadian Navy’s leadership in strengthening security throughout European waters,” read the news release.

Ukraine

During Anand’s trip to the United Kingdom from June 27 to 29, the minister visited a military base where CAF members are training Ukrainian soldiers.

At the news conference, Anand spoke to Canada’s commitment to continue providing donations and military support to Ukraine.

Since February 2022, when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, Canada has committed over $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, she said, and recently announced an additional $500 million in aid. She added that Canada has committed hundreds of armoured vehicles, eight battle tanks, an air defence system, along with artillery, ammunition, and more.

The United Kingdom is home to the Royal Canadian Air Force detachment in Prestwick, Scotland, which has delivered over 10 million pounds of Ukraine-bound military aid donated by Canada and its partners and allies using three Hercules aircraft, Anand said, thanking the British government for hosting the detachment.

Anand added that, through Operation Unifier, the CAF has trained more than 36,000 Ukrainian troops. “Canada will continue to stand alongside our allies in support of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” she added.

Anand said Canada’s commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) remains “ironclad”.

“We will always do whatever it takes to defend every inch of NATO territory. In closing, Canada and the United Kingdom share a deep and historic relationship forged on the battlefields where we defended the values of peace and freedom for all people,” she said at the news conference.