The Minister of Defense clarifies after hearing about the media strike – nationally
Defense Minister David McGuinty has been tight-lipped about when and how he learned of an alleged Iranian drone attack on Canadian assets in Kuwait earlier this month.
In prepared remarks on Thursday – which he described as a “clarifying statement” – McGuinty said he first heard about the airstrike at a briefing with government officials, not from reading about it in the newspaper.
Earlier in the day, the minister suggested to reporters at a press conference that he did not learn about the possible damage to the Canadian camp at the Kuwait airport on March 1 until the Quebec newspaper La Presse reported on it on March 12.
A London Free Press reporter asked McGuinty at an event in Kitchener, Ont., when he “first heard about the attack.”
The minister replied that “he first became aware of the situation in the Middle East while he was abroad with the prime minister on a global tour of the Indo-Pacific.”
When a reporter asked a follow-up question saying the minister “knew about this before La Presse reported it 11 days later,” McGuinty quickly interjected.
“No, I didn’t know about it before La Presse reported it,” McGuinty said. “I saw the La Presse story when I was overseas.”
Later on Thursday, McGuinty’s press team sent The Canadian Press a video of the minister reading a statement “clarifying” his earlier comments about the airstrikes.
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“I receive intelligence and security information on a regular basis. I am informed of incidents involving (Canadian Armed Forces) members and assets around the world. That was immediately after the strike, and that continues,” McGuinty said, reading from the lectern at another event.
“This morning, I was referring specifically to my awareness of the press release and not to the strike itself, which I was informed about by Canadian officials.”
La Presse reported on March 12 that an analysis of satellite images suggests that a small part of Canada’s Ali Al-Salem airbase suffered damage in the attack on March 1.
McGuinty was traveling to Norway with Prime Minister Mark Carney the day the La Presse story was published. However, Carney was asked by reporters about the La Presse report in Yellowknife, NWT on the afternoon of March 12 – before he and McGuinty flew overseas.
“Well, I’m not the only government spokesperson,” Carney said that day. “I’m just going to make sure that the members of the Canadian Armed Forces are all safe and sound.”
The minister declined to confirm whether the attack hit or damaged any Canadian property in the base. He said he would not comment on the strike itself, saying it was “operational security”.
“This is something we don’t talk about. I don’t know why it’s been a difficult thing to get over,” McGuinty said. “We do not put the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces at risk or risk. We do not share operational details.”
Federal Conservatives accuse the government of being too secretive about the war and point out that Canada’s allies are openly sharing such information.
Conservative defense critic James Bezan argues that the government can still inform Canadians in a responsible manner without jeopardizing the security of Canadian forces in the region.
Bezan also accused McGuinty shortly after the Kitchener news conference of misleading Canadians about when he knew about the strike.
“This is unacceptable,” Bezan said in a press release. “I will answer the minister next week in Parliament.”
Some Canadian party leaders with top secret security clearances are now calling for a closed-door hearing on the air strike.
McGuinty suggested on Thursday that the Liberal government would consider giving them a forum, but did not commit.
Canada has about 200 troops stationed in the Middle East in six different locations.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
