Venice, 15/11/2004 (Agence Europe) - Speaking before the Defence and Security Committee at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Venice, Canadian deputy Claude Bachand (Bloc Québécois) deplored the fact that his country is "often forgotten when one speaks of transatlantic relations", which mainly focuses only on the United States as if it makes up the whole American continent.
Jean-Pierre Juneau, Canada's Permanent Representative to NATO, also placed emphasis during the meeting between the Parliamentary Assembly and the North Atlantic Council on the contribution that his country makes to the Alliance. "Canada ranks second within NATO in terms of troops deployed abroad", he said, stressing that his country is spending over one billion euros annually for its mission in and assistance to Afghanistan.
Julian Lindley-French, from the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, considers for his part that "Canada is a European country" when it comes to defence. "It does not spend enough on defence, and wants to do too much with what it has", he said, adding that he was "saddened" by the fact that, despite its tradition and great ambitions when it comes to intervention in foreign lands, Canada "does not give its armed forces sufficient means". (Source: Atlantic News).