The last time Canada had a permanent military presence in Europe was following the Second World War and during the Cold War. WATCH | Canada's NATO presence in Latvia extended to 2029: Are the Armed Forces ready for an extended Latvian mission? Carney announced Canada’s NATO presence in Latvia will continue through to 2029, with aims to have a full cadre of 2,200 persistently deployed there sometime in 2026. At least one other NATO ally is already moving towards establishing a permanent military presence in the Baltic region. At the end of the Cold War, NATO promised Russia it would not establish permanent bases in Eastern Europe.

Source: CBC News December 23, 2025 15:03 UTC