Canada 'continues to monitor' U.S. boat strikes in Caribbean as questions swirl and allies squirm

The federal soldier regime says it is keeping a come together eyeball on lethal strikes by American forces on suspected do drugs boats in the Caribbean, while continuing with operations in the region.

Canada has conducted Operation Caribbe — an anti-drug trafficking mission in partnership with the United States Coast Guard — since 2006.

The Department of National Defence says that mission has nothing to do with the deadly strikes conducted by the U.S. Air Force.

"The U.S.’s actions are unilateral and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) does not participate," wrote DND spokesperson Nick Drescher Brown. "Canada continues to monitor the situation closely."

The department says there are no planned changes to Operation Caribbe, but it is "continuously reviewing operational engagements to ensure they remain consistent with Canada’s legal obligations and strategic interests."

At least 87 people have been killed in nearly two dozen U.S. Strikes in the Caribbean since September.

The strikes mark a drastic change in U.S. Policy on drug trafficking in the Caribbean, diverging from efforts to stop and arrest suspected traffickers at sea and send them to the U.S. To face prosecution.

This shift has left Canada and other allies in an impossible position, according to Rob Huebert, director of the Centre For Military, Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.

The United Kingdom suspended intelligence-sharing with the U.S. In the region in November. Colombia did the same.

France condemned the use of force at G7 meetings in Canada, while Canadian officials remained quiet on the topic.

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Canada maintains its partner in the region is the U.S. Coast Guard, and not the U.S. Air Force, which has been conducting the strikes.

But Huebert said that's a thin distinction, considering both entities fall under the Department of War, and its secretary Pete Hegseth.

"It probably allows for a little bit of political cover," Huebert said. "In terms of the actual interaction going on, the U.S. Coast Guard is part of the U.S. Military."

The Washington Post reported that Hegseth ordered a secondary strike on a vessel off Venezuela on Sept. 2, aimed at killing the survivors of an initial strike.

The secretary of war later said the strike was ordered by Admiral Frank Mitchell Bradley, but Hegseth voiced approval for the decision — while Democratic lawmakers have questioned its legality.

Huebert said this leaves Canada with a tough decision: Do we continue with Operation Caribbe despite having an unpredictable partner, or end the long-standing mission and face the consequences?

"If we walk away from it, obviously the Americans aren't going to be doing anything to help us in terms of stopping the drugs that are entering Canada," Huebert said. "They are a very vindictive administration."

Asked for a response to Huebert's comments, a White House spokesperson said all strikes had been against "designated narcoterrorists" and that U.S. President Donald Trump "will continue to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country."

Operation Caribbe has disrupted and seized more than 123 metric tonnes of cocaine since 2006. Ending the mission would have political and real-world ramifications for Canada — a country already dealing with a growing cocaine problem.

Huebert said National Defence Minister David McGuinty can only make it clear Canada cannot participate in illegal activities, and hope the Canadian Armed Forces aren't dragged into any.

"There isn't a good solution," Huebert said.

Ryan Cooke is a journalist with the Atlantic Investigative Unit, based in St. John's. He can be reached at ryan.cooke@cbc.ca.

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