Deadly Canadian Helicopter Crash During NATO
Exercise
On April 29, a
Royal Canadian Air Force Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone
helicopter on a North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) military mission, with six Canadians on
board, crashed violently in the Ionian Sea off the
coast of Greece. It had flown from the Canadian
naval frigate HMCS Fredericton, whose home port is
Halifax, which was deployed in the area as part of
Operation REASSURANCE.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has members
serving on Operation REASSURANCE in Central and
Eastern Europe. They are there as part of NATO, to
reinforce that organization's "collective
defence." During this operation, the CAF is
conducting training, exercises, and some
NATO-specific tasks.
On January 20, HMCS Fredericton set sail for a
six-month deployment on Operation REASSURANCE.
Since 2014, the CAF have deployed a frigate on a
persistent rotational basis to be employed in
exercises and operational tasks that are part of
NATO's Maritime Command.
HMCS
Fredericton's deployment is part of a
range of activities that include the provision of
military capabilities for training, exercises,
demonstrations and assigned NATO tasks and
demonstrates Canada's involvement in warmongering
in Central and Eastern Europe.
Prime Minister Trudeau, in announcing the crash,
described Operation REASSURANCE as "Canada at its
best -- bolstering security and stability in
Central and Eastern Europe."
The Communist Party
of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) mourns the loss of
life of the six Canadians who died and sends its
sincere condolences to their families. However,
Canada's participation in this aggressive and
warmongering military pact cannot in any way be
attributed to the defence of Canada. Contrary
to what the Prime Minister has declared, it
is bolstering insecurity and instability in
Central and Eastern Europe. Furthermore, to
maintain these exercises during a coronavirus
pandemic is leading to contagion on the
ships and within the ranks of the troops of
several NATO member countries, Canada included. It
is unconscionable.
On the occasion of May 9, the 75th anniversary of
Victory Day, we expressed our heartfelt gratitude
to the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe for
their huge sacrifice during World War II, so that
humanity could rid itself of Nazism and fascism.
But it is not the cause of peace, freedom and
democracy that NATO represents but preparations to
embroil the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe
in aggression and war once again. Canadians want
to eliminate the threat of
aggression and war so that the world's
peoples can live in peace and security and further
develop relations between countries based on
mutual benefit.
Canada, Out of NATO Now!
Make Canada a Zone for Peace!
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 17 - May 16, 2020
Article Link:
Deadly Canadian Helicopter Crash During NATO
Exercise
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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