Articles by Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

Jan 29 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Latvia is crossing its fingers that it is up next after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this week that Canada is extending and expanding its military mission in Ukraine in response to concerns about Russia. In an interview, Latvian Ambassador to Canada Kārlis Eihenbaums said his countrymen are grateful for the 600 Canadian […]

Jan 29 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Latvia is crossing its fingers that it is up next after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this week that Canada is extending and expanding its military mission in Ukraine in response to concerns about Russia. In an interview, Latvian Ambassador to Canada Kārlis Eihenbaums said his countrymen are grateful for the 600 Canadian […]

Jan 27 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The debate around sending weapons to Ukraine was being panned as a “red herring” on Thursday, as several experts suggested Canada can better support the eastern European country in its standoff with Russia in other ways. The comments came one day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this week a package of support […]

Jan 23 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Royal Canadian Navy commander Vice-Admiral Craig Baines admits he made a mistake by golfing with retired general Jonathan Vance last summer while the former chief of the defence staff was being investigated for alleged sexual misconduct. But in his first interview since current defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre’s controversial decision not to fire […]

Jan 23 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Royal Canadian Navy commander Vice-Admiral Craig Baines admits he made a mistake by golfing with retired general Jonathan Vance last summer while the former chief of the defence staff was being investigated for alleged sexual misconduct. But in his first interview since current defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre’s controversial decision not to fire […]

Jan 20 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The Canadian commander of a multinational battlegroup in Latvia says he is working to ensure his troops have enough supplies and can talk to each other, as mounting tensions between the NATO military alliance and Russia feed fears of a new war in Europe. Canada has more than 500 soldiers in Latvia as […]

Jan 19 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The federal government is being forced to retire one of the Canadian Coast Guard’s important science vessels, dealing a blow to the country’s ocean research capabilities for at least the next few years. The Canadian Coast Guard announced Wednesday that age had finally caught up to the 59-year-old CCGS Hudson, and the ocean […]

Jan 14 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The Department of National Defence says proceedings have been launched against more than 900 Canadian Armed Forces members for refusing to get vaccinated, though none have yet been forced to hang up their uniforms. Chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre ordered all military personnel be fully vaccinated by mid-October, saying the […]

Jan 12 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The Canadian Armed Forces says its medical personnel have been stretched to the limit during the pandemic, suggesting it can offer little help to provincial health care systems overwhelmed by the Omicron variant of COVID-19. A growing number of provinces are being forced to resort to extreme measures to ensure they have enough […]

Jan 11 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Six months after the federal government promised to help thousands of Afghan women leaders, human rights activists and journalists flee to Canada, the first planeload has landed. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced the arrival of 252 Afghan refugees on Tuesday, including the first 170 admitted through a special program for people the government […]

Jan 11 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — A new poll suggests a slim majority of Canadians support the latest round of lockdowns and other government-imposed restrictions as the Omicron variant continue to fuel an explosion in new COVID-19 infections. Fifty-six per cent of respondents in the poll conducted by Leger and the Association of Canadian Studies agreed governments are making […]

Jan 11 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — A new poll suggests a slim majority of Canadians support the latest round of lockdowns and other government-imposed restrictions as the Omicron variant continue to fuel an explosion in new COVID-19 infections. Fifty-six per cent of respondents in the poll conducted by Leger and the Association of Canadian Studies agreed governments are making […]

Jan 10 2022 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin's battle for reinstatement as head of Canada's COVID-19 vaccine distribution campaign can go on now that the Federal Court of Appeal has agreed to consider his case. Government lawyers had asked the Appeal Court to quash Fortin’s case after the senior military officer’s legal team appealed a Federal Court ruling […]

Dec 31 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The Canadian Armed Forces is preparing for the launch of highly anticipated consultations with thousands of current and former military members and defence officials who experienced inappropriate sexual behaviour. The consultation, known as restorative engagement, will see around 5,000 Armed Forces members and defence officials share their experiences and offer their thoughts on […]

Dec 30 2021 — Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The commander of the Royal Canadian Navy is sounding the alarm over a shortage of sailors, saying he needs about 1,000 additional mariners to crew Canada's warships. Vice-Admiral Craig Baines told The Canadian Press in an interview that the navy has been able to make do with its current personnel levels, but only […]