Sweden getting closer to NATO membership is 'pretty exciting' for Canada: Blair
Sweden is inching closer to joining NATO, and Defence Minister Bill Blair says that's "pretty exciting" for Canada.
Sweden and Finland both asked to join the alliance after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago -- something that requires unanimous consent of all members.
Finland became a member last April, but Hungary and Turkey opposed Sweden's bid to join until recently.
Turkey's parliament voted in support of Sweden on Tuesday.
And Hungary's prime minister now says he has affirmed his country's support to NATO's secretary-general.
Once it becomes an ally, Sweden plans to send soldiers to join a Canadian-led battle group in Latvia that's being scaled up to a brigade.
"Sweden has already indicated that they're going to be sending a battalion into Latvia," Blair said in an interview.
He said Canada's allies have expressed very strong support for Sweden's bid to join. "I think they're going to be a hugely important partner."
The battle group was set up in 2017 and has 1,700 soldiers, about 1,000 of whom are Canadian. It's one of eight on NATO's eastern flank that the alliance has agreed to bolster in response to Russia's aggression.
The federal government announced plans last summer to increase Canada's presence in Latvia -- already the Armed Forces' largest international deployment -- to 2,200 troops by 2026.
In a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he spoke with NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg Wednesday.
"I reaffirmed that the Hungarian government supports the NATO-membership of Sweden," he said.
"I also stressed that we will continue to urge the Hungarian National Assembly to vote in favour of Sweden's accession and conclude the .ratification at the first possible opportunity."
Hungary's parliament is scheduled to reconvene on Feb. 26.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2024.
-- With files from The Associated Press.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli military says 'limited' operation against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon has begun
Israel's widely expected ground invasion of Lebanon appeared to be getting underway early on Tuesday as its military said troops had begun 'limited' raids against Hezbollah targets in the border area.
BREAKING Pete Rose, baseball's hits leader who was banned for life for betting on the game, dead at 83
Pete Rose, Major League Baseball's all-time hits leader who was banned from baseball for gambling on the game, has died at 83.
A B.C. condo owner who was blamed for a cockroach infestation in her building and charged thousands of dollars for the cost of eradicating the bugs must be refunded, the civil resolution tribunal ruled.
'I don't want to bury more people': Son of Canadians slain in Lebanon implores Ottawa
Ottawa must do more to help Canadian citizens leave Lebanon, says the son of a Canadian couple killed last week when an Israeli bomb hit their car in the country's south.
Health Canada recalls nearly 60 more unauthorized sexual enhancement products
Health Canada issued a recall last week for various sexual enhancement products for containing prescribed drugs like tadalafil and sildenafil.
TD Bank to pay more than US$28M in settlement for market manipulation
TD Bank Group has agreed to pay more than US$28 million after an investigation into manipulation of the U.S. Treasuries market by one of its traders.
Joly targets polarization in UN speech, urges liberals to reclaim the word 'freedom'
Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly is asking members of the United Nations to counter growing political polarization abroad while taking shots at Conservative rhetoric at home.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs appeals for release while he awaits sex trafficking trial
Sean "Diddy" Combs is appealing a federal judge's decision to keep him in jail while he awaits trial on sex trafficking charges.
Man hikes 18 kilometres, 670 metres high to reach his parents in North Carolina
It had been 48 hours since the winds and rains from Hurricane Helene ripped through western North Carolina and Sam Perkins still had not heard from his parents.
Local Spotlight
On Saturday night at her parents鈥 home in Delaware, Ont. the Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault welcomed everyone who played a role in getting her to the podium in Paris.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.
A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.
Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.
Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.
A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.
An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.