Prime Minister Justin Trinto has said Montreal will host NATO’s new climate center as radical climate change poses a serious security threat to the military alliance. Canada will also host the new North American headquarters of the NATO Technology Center, but declined to say why the government is not contributing to the new € 1 billion fund related to the alliance’s innovation project. “We continue to be in talks,” Prime Minister Trinto told a news conference Thursday at the close of the NATO summit in Madrid, referring to talks to set up a North Atlantic Defense Innovation Accelerator (DIANA) in Canada. He would not say where DIANA would be. Reports indicate that the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario, one of Canada’s top research and development centers, could be high on the list. The new Center for Excellence in Climate Change and Security is a Canadian initiative proposed by Mr. Trinto at the NATO Summit in 2021. It will become Canada’s first research center. Mr Trinto also said Canada would send more troops to Latvia as part of NATO’s ambitious effort to support its vulnerable east on or near the Russian border. But he did not say how many more Canadian troops would be stationed in addition to the nearly 700 already there. “There will be more,” he said. Canada is committed to helping Latvia increase the size of its NATO-led brigade force to about 3,000 troops, although the troops will come from several Alliance member states. Mr Trinto said Canada was in the final stages of talks to supply Ukraine with up to 39 armored combat vehicles to help it deal with Russia. They were destined for the Canadian Army, but will be diverted to Ukraine. He said all equipment diverted to Ukraine would be replaced “as soon as possible” so that the Canadian military would not fall. It also pledged to provide Ukraine with six Canadian-made drones to complement the 20 or so cameras sent earlier this year. He said the cameras “were incredibly useful in protecting Ukrainians”. Separately, Defense Secretary Anita Anand downplayed accusations by the media that Canada’s defense spending was in fact falling, even though statistics produced by NATO itself suggest that it is. He said Canada’s spending would increase by 70 per cent over a nine-year period beginning in 2017. NATO wants Member States to contribute the equivalent of 2 percent of GDP to defense spending. Canadian spending was nowhere near that figure and is falling close to the lowest level in NATO countries. The alliance estimates that Canada’s share of GDP this year will be just 1.27 percent, up from 1.36 percent in 2021. DIANA will combine NATO’s state-of-the-art mindsets with those of technology companies and scientists to create dual-use products – ones that can be useful for both military and civilian applications. They will include batteries that can survive extreme temperatures as global warming accelerates and new protective clothing for combat uniforms. The fund will invest in start-ups to accelerate product development. NATO describes it as the first multinational venture capital fund in the world. So far, 24 of NATO’s 30 member states have agreed to contribute to the fund, leaving Canada in the minority of those who have not. The NATO Climate Center in Montreal recognizes that drought, extreme heat and rising water levels can create human misery, including famine, starvation and mass migration of those affected, which can lead to conflict. Ottawa said the center “will be a platform through which both military and civilian people will develop, strengthen and share knowledge about the impact of climate change on security.” It will also allow participants to work together to build the skills and best practices needed to contribute to NATO’s goal of reducing the climate impact of our military activities. “ With files from the Canadian Press. The Morning and Afternoon Newsletters are compiled by Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
