OTTAWA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Canada on Thursday attacked a U.S. proposal to release soldiers along the undefended joint border to assist fight the spread of coronavirus, saying the concept was unneeded and would damage relations.
FILE IMAGE: Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to news media outside his home in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada March 25,2020 REUTERS/Patrick Doyle
The uncompromising remarks came as a surprise, considering that Ottawa has delighted in smooth relations with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump over the past 18 months. Recently the 2 countries consented to close the border to non-essential travel to alleviate the strain on health systems from the outbreak.
Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, nevertheless, made clear the Liberal federal government had no time for a plan to send hundreds of soldiers to the border to assist increase security.
” Canada is highly opposed to this U.S. proposal and we have made that opposition extremely, very clear … this is a completely unneeded action which we woul