At today's virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), Defence Minister Anita Anand announced details of Canada's latest tranche of military support for Ukraine. Canada will provide approximately $34 million in additional military aid to Ukraine. Minister Anand also highlighted that Canada will extend its training mission in the United Kingdom under Operation UNIFIER until the end of 2023.
This latest military aid package responds to urgent priorities identified by Ukraine, including:
- approximately $5 million to continue providing critical satellite imagery to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU);
- more than $18 million for additional, high-resolution drone cameras; and,
- up to $10 million to provide additional winter gear to support the AFU, including portable heaters, thermal blankets and sleeping bags sourced from Canadian companies through the Canadian Commercial Corporation.
The cameras and satellite imagery are critical for surveillance, reconnaissance and gathering intelligence and will complement the $17.38M in satellite imagery and 62 drone cameras for Ukraine that Canada has already committed.
With winter setting in, Canadian industry has stepped up to help quickly meet the AFU's critical need for winter gear. Following Minister Anand's commitment to provide 500, 000 items of winter gear and clothing at last month's UDCG meeting in Brussels, contracts have been signed with 11 Canadian companies and deliveries are underway. These companies include L.P. Royer Inc.; Kamik Canada Inc.; Stanfield's Limited; Canadian Tire / Mark's Work Wearhouse; True North Style; Calco (Canada) Inc.; Superior Glove Works Limited; Quartz Nature Inc.; Modes Moose Inc. (aka Moose Knuckles); Wooly Mammoth Outerwear Inc. (aka Wuxly) and Dristex. These deliveries of winter clothing, which includes jackets, pants, boots, gloves, and parkas, will be complete before the end of November.
This aid comes from existing funds and complements the $500 million in additional military assistance for Ukraine that the Prime Minister announced on Monday, November 14.
