Bay of Quinte MP Chris Malette returned home this week following a two-day conference of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Parliamentary Association in Brussels, Belgium.
The sessions, held at NATO Headquarters, brought together a delegation of 12 Parliamentarians from all recognized parties in the House of Commons, along with representatives from the Senate.
“Among delegates from our party who attended the sessions, few can recall ever attending meetings where Canada was praised so broadly, both in formal sessions and in bilateral discussions with high-ranking representatives of NATO member nations, for our recent actions to strengthen our security and defence commitments,” said MP Malette, a member of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association.
“In particular, Canada was commended for its agreements to fully support NATO allies, wherever and whenever called upon to do so under the Alliance’s charter, as affirmed by the House of Commons.”
Key discussions at this week’s conference focused on Arctic security and standing firm in the face of Russian aggression in that region. Canada’s recent commitments, alongside broader NATO priorities, were central to consultations among member states.
The annual February meetings at NATO Headquarters in Brussels form part of the alliance’s regular calendar of events, providing a forum for frank discussions and the advancement of recommendations from member nations. The two-day sessions also included briefings from senior NATO officials on emerging and ongoing security threats across alliance territories.
“All members of our delegation came away from the gathering of representatives of all 32 NATO member nations with an intense feeling of proud Canadian spirit,” said MP Malette. “To hear directly how much our NATO partners recognize, appreciate and embrace Canada’s commitments to the alliance — particularly at such a turbulent time in the global security climate was deeply meaningful.”
