Members of the Canadian Armed Forces at Garrison Petawawa were greeted by the Canadian Prime Minister and Secretary General of NATO this morning. Justin Trudeau was joined by the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg for a meeting on base. Trudeau took the time to remember a Petawawa soldier who was killed last month during a training exercise in Europe. Trudeau says Bombardier Patrick Labrie will not be forgotten.
The Canadian Prime Minister went on to say that NATO was built on the Canadian idea that we stand stronger together, shoulder to shoulder, and it’s not enough to just call out acts of aggression, we need to protect peace and democracy. Trudeau says following a decade of neglect from the previous government, the liberals have increased the defense budget by over 70%.
In June of this year, it was announced that Canada will continue to support the NATO Mission in Iraq for another year. Trudeau says Brigadier-General Jennie Carignan will take over command of the NATO Mission Iraq in the fall of 2019 and she joins an impressive team of Canadian women serving in Senior NATO leadership positions. NATO Secretary General Stoltenburg says he’s come across Canadian military members deployed all around the world, but never in Canada. He says it’s an honour to meet with the men and women at Garrison Petawawa. The NATO Secretary General says Canada is leading by example and helping keep the peace in Europe.
Stoltenburg says he and Trudeau talked about security challenges and how to strengthen defense. Stoltenburg adds Canadian soldiers are helping send a clear message that NATO allies never stand alone, by providing security so far from home.
(Photo: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (right) addresses members of the Canadian Armed Forces at Garrison Petawawa with NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenburg, (left).