Conservative defence critic James Bezan says it’s “really shameful” the federal government didn’t tell the general public that an airbase in Kuwait, where the Canadian Armed Forces have a camp, was hit by an Iranian missile attack on March 1.
The newspaper La Presse reported today that the Canadian camp on the Ali Al-salem Air Base seemed to be damaged by the attack, although no Canadian military members were injured.
Canada has an operational support hub on the airbase, which also hosts the USA Air Force.
Bezan says Ottawa has been “way too secretive” in regards to the war while allies hold every day briefings.
The Department of National Defence, which took every week to reply to a matter in regards to the base, says it should not disclose details about military facilities for “operational security reasons.”
“We’re aware of reports of strikes within the vicinity of Ali Al-salem Air Base,” the statement said, without answering questions on when it occurred, the extent of the damage or a possible response.
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“Based on events since Feb. 27, efforts have focused on the force protection of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, including relocating some inside the region, staying of their location if force protection is acceptable, and where applicable, redeploying some back to Canada. All CAF personnel within the region are currently protected and accounted for.
The Liberal government called a take-note debate in Parliament on Monday night on the Iran war, but didn’t mention the attack.
Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters in Yellowknife on Thursday that Canadian military service members are “protected and sound,” but didn’t otherwise comment on the attack.
“We should not engaged in these actions of the U.S. and Israel, we’re not engaged in offensive actions, and we won’t be engaged in those actions,” he said.
—With additional files from Global News
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