John Ivison: Ukraine asked us for missiles. we send words

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On March 22, Defense Minister Anita Anand received a proposal from a group of industry executives aimed at helping Ukraine defend the Odessa region from a Russian amphibious assault.

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The plan, laid out in a briefing obtained by the National Post, called for giving Ukraine Harpoon Block 11 anti-ship missiles from the Royal Canadian Navy’s inventory to help with coastal defense. Executives urged the minister to act quickly so the missiles could be shipped “in days, not weeks.”

The logic certainly appeals to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who told ministers this week that he wants to arm the Ukrainians with Harpoon missiles to help protect Odessa.

Yet two weeks after the Canadian proposal was made, there has been no progress in shipping the only weapons system in Canada’s inventory that could make a difference in Ukraine. It is typical of Canada’s lackluster response to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s orders for arms to defend his beleaguered homeland.

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“Canada will send more lethal equipment to Ukraine and will continue to stay in close contact with Ukraine about its evolving needs,” said Sabrina Kim, director of communications for Anand. Asked specifically if any systems currently in Canada’s inventory are being considered for export, Kim said there is nothing to add to what Justin Trudeau said publicly at the recent NATO leaders’ summit. In Brussels, Trudeau said that Canada is looking to buy more weapons because its own stockpile has been depleted.

Conservative MP James Bezan, who raised the Harpoon plan with Anand, said Canada’s response to Ukraine’s requests has been stalled by bureaucracy and a lack of political leadership. “They are dragging their feet in the hope that the war will end and Canada will be seen as having done enough,” he said.

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The briefing note suggested loading the Harpoons on flatbed trailers; procure drones from Canadian UAVs in Calgary to assist with surveillance and targeting; and the purchase of command and control vans linked to commercially available radar products sold by the Canadian company MDA.

The plan also includes the provision of training for Ukrainian service members.

The preferred option is to transport all the equipment to Romania in an RCAF C-17 transport aircraft and cross the border into Ukraine. Proponents argue that all the equipment is available in Canada and the cost would be minimal, given that the Navy already owns the Harpoons. The impact could help deter the Russians from making an amphibious landing on the Black Sea coast, which many see as their next target, proponents of the plan say.

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On Sunday, Russian planes and warships attacked an oil refinery and fuel storage facility in the Odessa region.

The Harpoon is designed to be launched from ships, submarines, aircraft, or road trailers. “What is proposed is in line with the original design of the system,” the briefing note said.

The United States has recently contracted with Taiwan to supply 100 Harpoon coastal defense batteries.

Canada operates the system on its 12 Halifax-class frigates, but it is scheduled to be replaced by more advanced missiles. About 120 of the 200 missiles in Canada’s reserves are currently in storage.

Bezan said part of the bureaucratic objection to Ukraine’s supply is that the Department of National Defense does not want to give up its supplies. But he said the briefing note makes it clear those supplies are in storage.

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What to do with all this? The fog of war extends to diplomatic and military initiatives in Canada. Anand’s department is clearly working on something and perhaps the Harpoons are part of that plan, despite official rebuttals.

What can be said is that Canada’s response in providing Ukraine with defensive weapons has been lukewarm, dating back to the 2014 invasion of Crimea.

The lethal aid sent so far consists mainly of old Carl Gustav anti-tank weapons and L3Harris Wescam surveillance cameras.

Zelenskyy is understood to have asked Trudeau privately in a recent call to send over the Harpoon systems, as he did publicly when addressing the Norwegian parliament late last month. “Liberty should be no worse armed than tyranny,” he said.

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That message is resonating with our allies. “We are not sending our prayers, we are sending our weapons… and we will also send our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in response to Zelenskyy’s speech to Australian lawmakers.

Canada is limited in what it can offer. This country sent a battle group to Latvia without air defense protection, relying on allies like the Czechs to provide that crucial cover.

But he has exactly what Zelenskyy wants, as the battle for Ukraine enters a new phase.

The people behind the plan are serious, experienced and experts in their own fields. They believe it is realistic to have the systems assembled and shipped within seven days of receiving the green light, without diminishing Canada’s ability to defend itself (the plan calls for the deployment of 24 of Canada’s 200 units).

When the scale of Russia’s atrocities in Bucha became known on Sunday, Trudeau voiced his condemnation, saying “Canada will continue to do everything it can for the people of Ukraine.”

But words and a vague commitment of future support are not enough.

I asked Anand’s office why Canada isn’t sending Harpoon anti-ship missile systems to Ukraine, even though Zelenskyy asked Trudeau for them and most of them are in storage.

The government did not have an answer.