The war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East are the result of a breakdown in international law in an increasingly dangerous and violent world, Defence Minister Bill Blair told a global security conference Friday.
Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and Hamas鈥檚 attack on Israel on Oct. 7 are overt challenges to the international, rule-based order, he said.
鈥淚n the Middle East, we have seen innocent civilians caught up in a war they did not ask for,鈥� the minister said, noting Hamas鈥檚 鈥渟laughter鈥� of 1,200 Israelis and its taking of over 200 hostages. While defending Israel鈥檚 right to self defence, Blair said, 鈥渁ll civilians must be protected and the law of armed conflict must be protected.鈥�
Blair is among 300 delegates from around the world attending the three-day Halifax International Security Forum, an annual event dedicated to strengthening co-operation among democratic nations.
Most of the sessions at the conference will be focusing on the war in Ukraine even though much of the world鈥檚 attention has shifted to the Gaza Strip, where Israel鈥檚 invasion, in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, has killed more than 11,400 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and minors, according to Palestinian health authorities.
When asked if support for Ukraine鈥檚 fight is dwindling among its allies, Blair said that wasn鈥檛 the case.
鈥淚 do appreciate that there are political discussions taking place in a number of our allied countries, but I have seen absolute 鈥� unequivocal support for Ukraine among those allies,鈥� he said.
It鈥檚 important, Blair added, to remember that while Ukraine鈥檚 allies are providing support through missions and money, 鈥�(Ukrainians) are fighting this battle with their blood.鈥�
鈥淭hey are fighting on all of our behalf against a very determined challenge to the international rules-based order,鈥� he said, adding that the Ukrainian military is now having a tough time consolidating gains made last summer.
鈥淩ight now, it seems to be moving into 鈥� I鈥檓 not going to use the word stalemate 鈥� but a more static battle environment. It remains to be seen what can unlock that,鈥� he said.
Blair joined United States senators James Risch and Jeanne Shaheen in the opening panel discussion at the forum, and argued that democratic countries must work on methods to provide Ukraine with more munitions, even as their own stockpiles of artillery shells are depleted.
鈥淲e have to move beyond just raiding of the cupboard 鈥� we鈥檝e got to find ways to solve the munitions issue,鈥� he said.
Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of the defence staff, recently told a House of Commons committee that if Canadian troops were to fire their artillery at the same rate as Ukrainian troops, their supply of shells would last for only a few days.
Still, Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Ukrainian human rights lawyer on the panel, said in an interview attitudes need to shift among Western powers helping her nation. She said often the goal is solely to 鈥渉elp Ukraine not to fail,鈥� rather than ensure her nation actually wins the war.
鈥淚f we don鈥檛 have a joint, ambitious goal, we won鈥檛 have a joint strategy,鈥� she said, as she urged Canada to contribute more modern weaponry, more quickly.
Shaheen, a Democratic party senator from New Hampshire, said she was concerned about the flow of aid to Ukraine, noting that fresh funding is mired in Congress due to a small minority of Republican members throwing up roadblocks.
鈥淚鈥檓 very concerned about the fact we are funding our government in the United States a month at a time here,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think that is unsustainable.鈥�
However, she and Risch, a Republican senator from Idaho, also predicted that eventually the latest military aid package to Ukraine will pass through Congress.
鈥淭hings don鈥檛 happen instantly in a free, democratic society,鈥� said Risch.
Forum president Peter Van Praagh said he deliberately chose to keep the focus of the event on Ukraine, not the war in Gaza, because switching the theme would have played into the agenda of non-democratic nations.
鈥淣ow (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is working to shift the world鈥檚 democracies鈥� attention 鈥� and their generous support for Ukraine 鈥� to other theatres,鈥� he said Thursday. 鈥淭he world鈥檚 democracies must come together to stop this multi-front attack.鈥�
Later in the day, Blair announced Ottawa would spend $26.6 million over six years to establish an innovation hub in Halifax for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Former defence minister Anita Anand announced the proposal last November.
The goal of the hub, known as the NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator, would be to promote co-operation between NATO鈥檚 military members and the technology sector, including tech startups and academic researchers.
Blair also announced that Canada will spend $188 million to design and build a new training facility at Canadian Forces Base Halifax, Canada鈥檚 largest military base.
Michael Tutton and Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press
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