
Military vice-chief says there are no plans to arm Coast Guard vessels
OTTAWA — The federal government does not intend to arm the Canadian Coast Guard, the vice-chief of the defence staff told a committee of senators on Tuesday.
Lt-Gen. Stephen Kelsey said the Coast Guard will remain a separate entity as it’s moved from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to Defence Minister David McGuinty’s control. He also told the Senate finance committee the civilian maritime force will not be armed.
“It’s not our intention to integrate the Coast Guard into the Armed Forces. It is a separate agency from us,” he said in French.
“I read in the newspaper, or maybe I saw on television, that there is an intention to arm the Coast Guard, but that is not true. All we’re trying to do is leverage their capacity and improve their positioning in the North.”