Canada considering CRV7 missiles as part of possible military donation package for Ukraine
The Conservative Party of Canada is demanding that the country's government donate to Ukraine tens of thousands of surplus air-to-ground rockets that are slated for disposal, CBC reported.
"Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre issued the call Friday during the House of Commons debate on legislation to update the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement. The Canadian Armed Forces has a stockpile of 83,303 CRV7 rockets, a 1980s-vintage weapon that was taken out of service in the early 2000s," it said.
Three years ago, the federal government signed a contract to dispose of the rockets over several years.
Poilievre said he understands Ukraine has asked Canada to donate the CRV7s instead of destroying them.
"It's time for less talk and more action. Instead of making Canadians pay millions of dollars to decommission these weapons, the weapons should be given to Ukraine who can use them in the defence of sovereignty," he said in a media statement.
The Department of National Defence of Canada acknowledged Friday that it still has the rockets and they're being considered as part of a possible future military donation package.
The problem — according to a defense official who spoke on background — is that while Canada still has tens of thousands of the rockets and their motors, not all of them have warheads.
A spokesperson for Defense Minister Bill Blair confirmed the government is considering donating the rockets.
"Before sending equipment to Ukraine, we coordinate closely with Ukraine to ensure that any donation would meet its military needs, and we examine the operational effectiveness of the equipment. We are following this same process for the CAF's stock of CRV7 rockets, purchased decades ago. In particular, we are pursuing testing to ensure that this equipment is operationally effective and safe to transport to Ukraine before any potential donation," he said.