Canada raises objection at US' decision to deploy troops on border amid COVID-19 outbreak

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reportedly objected to the United States’ decision to deploy US military forces on the Canadian border to step up efforts to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic. Canada urged the Donald Trump administration to consider keeping the world’s longest border 8,900 kilometres (5,500 miles) unmilitarised, which he said, was in both nation’s interest. 

During a press conference, Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, said that the Prime Minister of Canada was responding to the news of the Pentagon’s non-bilateral decision to send over 1,500 troops to the Canadian border to intercept illegal migrants, which, the United States said were being deployed to assist Customs and Border Protection operations. Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland rebuked the plans of the White House officials for the military deployment on the long-sealed border. 

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Canada rejected US' claims

At the press briefing, Trudeau clarified disagreement saying that Canada and the United States have the longest unmilitarized border in the world, and he would like it to remain that way. Earlier, prior to the Pentagon's announcement about the decision, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the development during a press conference held on March 26 from Ottawa, the US media reported. It said that Canada’s administration had been "in discussions" with the US. However, Canada has refused to have agreed on those terms, as per the media reports. 

The Canadian Prime Minister was also quoted citing safety concerns for Quebec and Ontario, the Canadian provinces that border the state of New York, US. At the news briefing, he was asked if Canada was considering border closure with the two states, to which, Trudeau replied saying that his government would continue to explore ways to ensure that they were keeping all Canadians safe. He further added that the supply of food, medical supplies, and supply of necessary equipment across the border to those states was a part of the crisis response. Meanwhile, Canada has recorded over 4,043 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, and 39 fatalities. 

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