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Move over peacekeeping, since Canada is now in the war drone production and fighter jet pilot training business!
Until Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a 100-year agreement with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Canadians may not have realized how deep taxpayers are in Ukraine’s war with Russia.
It’s no sunny way. It’s deadly ways!
While the talk is of Canada moving to have a “unique alliance” with the European Union to replace the ruptured American relationship, Carney last week committing Canada to 100 years of partnership with Ukraine has the ‘forever war’ versus ensuring freedom and democracy debate raging.
Whatever happens, it won’t be free.
Welcome to Calgary, President @ZelenskyyUA.
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) September 10, 2026
A year ago, we stood together in Kyiv’s Sophia Square — the centre of Ukraine’s battles for liberty and celebrations of your freedoms.
My message then is the same as today: Canada will always stand with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/p7PpWEFEuu
“The Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, met in Calgary on September 10, 2026, and signed the 100-year Partnership Declaration, setting out their intention to elevate the relationship between their countries into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and confirming their aligned nature,” said a news release from the PMO.
Canada committed to Ukraine for a century?
The press release announced “approximately $350 million to deliver critical air defence interceptors” as well as “nearly $23 million in funding to bolster the capabilities of Ukraine’s security architecture,” and “nearly $435 million in new loan guarantees to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to support energy security, including winter gas purchases.” and allocating “$200 million in concessional loans through Export Development Canada to support Ukraine’s reconstruction” to go with “an additional $10 million to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund” and “$2 million to the International Energy Agency (IEA) Joint Work Programme to support Ukraine’s Energy Resource Development” and “up to $40.1 million to help Ukrainian veterans recover, rehabilitate, and transition to civilian life.”
With expensive catered flights on the PM’s jet, a vacation to Tuscany, fancy locations for cabinet meetings and billions for the Ukraine war, those struggling to make rent are seeing where their financial sacrifice is going. Canadian taxpayers since 2022 have committed $26-billion to this war that has seen up to 1.8-million reported deaths and more to come, and more money spent.
“Canada will continue to strengthen Ukraine’s Armed Forces, with a particular focus on urgently needed air defence capabilities and interceptors, while continuing to provide training, military equipment, ammunition, and other critical military support,” said the PMO. “The two countries will deepen cooperation in intelligence, cyber defence, counter-drone and electronic disruption capabilities, and in countering hybrid threats and foreign information manipulation.”
Cold War spending prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union has been replaced with a hot war in Ukraine, with taxpayers on the hook and Canadian companies looking to profit.
Drones are where the money is at
Drones, instead of tanks, are the product of the day.
“The Prime Minister and President underlined the new partnership between General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada and the Ukrainian company Green Tech Harvest, which will develop and produce critical drones and drone-related technologies. This partnership – building on the partnership between Airlogix LLC and Sentinel Research & Development announced in May – will expand Canadian and Ukrainian collaboration on every aspect of drone production, from the critical metals and minerals to engineering. It will leverage Canadian manufacturing to respond to Ukraine’s critical defence needs, while supporting hundreds of good jobs in Canada.”
I am grateful to Canada and Prime Minister @MarkJCarney for talks that are always substantive and focused on what can help protect lives right now.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 10, 2026
We discussed in detail the options for ensuring Ukraine’s financial resilience this year and next. Thank you for your readiness to… pic.twitter.com/5feTD2fDlB
On X, Zelinskyy posted: “I am grateful to Canada for the new defence package. Above all, it will strengthen our air defence – both our Patriots and our combat aircraft, which down Russian jet-powered “shaheds.”
The drone warfare in Ukraine is intense and a risk to world leaders like Zelenskyy and even former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – both of whom have come close to becoming targets.
- WARMINGTON: As Canadians struggle to put food on table, Carney and cabinet dine in Banff
Canada is getting into the drone business.
Mark Carney: "We're not looking to become a member of the European Union. What we are looking and will begin discussions for unique alliance with the European Union, between Canada and the European Union." pic.twitter.com/mApzLc9dJT
— Scott Robertson (@sarobertson_) September 14, 2026
“Prime Minister Carney today announced the creation of the Defence Drone Initiative Marketplace (DDIM) Supply Arrangement,” which will “connect operators and end-users to this Canadian defence ecosystem – accelerating the discovery, acquisition, and fielding of uncrewed and counter-uncrewed capabilities.”
On its web page, Hamilton’s Sentinel Research and Development displays a myriad of products, including the ReKam, which is pronounced Wreck Em, and also has a “Reconnaissance and Kamikaze platform” that was “built for the realities of modern conflict” and “built for the realities of modern conflict. It’s a coal-face (battle) ready, payload-agnostic (can swap in different items needed in war) fixed-wing UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) designed to swap roles seamlessly between ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), loitering strike, electronic warfare, and counter-UAS missions.”
Following CANSEC 2026, it was great to reconnect with Dr. Katheron Intson, Co-Founder and CEO of Sentinel R&D.
— Victor Fedeli (@VictorFedeli) June 10, 2026
Based in Ontario, Sentinel R&D is advancing modular unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) through next-generation manufacturing.
We received an update on their newly… pic.twitter.com/DLFtV0q0Dl
Russia says Canada is a “warmonger”
Russia has not commented on the new 100-year agreement, but in June, as reported by the CBC, a spokesperson did call Canada a “warmonger” and threatened to print the addresses of weapons manufacturers. While Sentinel has not commented about the new agreement between Carney and Zelenskyy, in June its co-founder Katheron Intson told the CBC, “we take all threats to our security seriously” but “it really doesn’t change our plans at this point in time.”
Business is business. War is big business.
Many Canadians are also learning, while our air force does not have an up-to-date or proper fighter jet fleet itself, and the Snowbirds after this year, there are Ukrainian pilots in flight school in North Bay.
On X, Zelenskyy wrote, “21 Ukrainians are undergoing training.”
I met with our military pilots who are training at the International Test Pilots School in Canada. The guys are training to master modern fighter jets, including F-16s and Gripens, and strengthen Ukraine’s combat aviation. We’re doing everything we can to protect our skies, and… pic.twitter.com/hyvVjcx9gL
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 11, 2026
On its web page the International Tactical Training Centre (ITTC) said “we were honoured to recently host His Excellency Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine . . . at our NATO-accredited fighter pilot training campus at YYB North Bay Jack Garland Airport” and “shared how our growing Engineering and Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) training and manufacturing capabilities at International Tactical Training Centre (ITTC) and International Test Pilots School can make a meaningful contribution to the 100-year Canada-Ukraine Strategic Partnership” which “which focuses heavily on co-producing military drones and expanding defence ties.”
Canada is no longer in the peacekeeping business. Canadian taxpayers are in the air war business.
Welcome back, ITTC!
— International Test Pilots School (ITPS) (@ITPSCanada) July 25, 2025
The International Tactical Training Centre returns to our main base in London after a successful two-week deployment in North Bay! The team delivered training with outstanding professionalism and precision. A true demonstration of world-class tactical… pic.twitter.com/E8eNP7WKXN