OTTAWA — Conservative defence critic James Bezan said it’s “really shameful” the Liberal government did not tell the public about a reported Iranian missile strike on an airbase in Kuwait where Canadian Armed Forces personnel are stationed.
The newspaper La Presse reported Thursday the Canadian section at the Ali Al-salem Air Base appeared to be damaged by the March 1 attack, based on an analysis of satellite imagery. No Canadian military members were injured.
Canada has an operational support hub at the airbase, which also hosts the United States Air Force.
“This is a failure of the government of not wanting to communicate, not being transparent, and not sharing with Canadians exactly how Canada is impacted by this war,” Bezan told reporters Thursday.
The Liberal government called a take-note debate in Parliament on Monday night on the Iran war, but did not mention an attack or any damage to the base in Kuwait.
The Department of National Defence took a week to respond to a March 6 question from The Canadian Press about the reported airstrike. It said it does not disclose such information as a matter of policy.
“We are aware of reports of strikes in the vicinity of Ali Al Salem Air Base. For operational security reasons, we do not discuss assessments of damage or impacts to military facilities,” DND spokesperson Lt. Pamela Hogan said in an email Thursday.
“Based on events since Feb. 27, efforts have focused on the force protection of Canadian Armed Forces members, including relocating some within the region, staying in their location if force protection is appropriate, and where applicable, redeploying some back to Canada.”
Hogan added that all Canadian military personnel in the region are “currently safe and accounted for.”
But Bezan asserted that Canada’s allies, including the United States, are being more transparent than Canada by holding daily briefings and discussing damage from attacks.
“This government has been too secretive,” Bezan said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked by reporters on Thursday if he could confirm the strikes and explain why Canadians weren’t informed earlier.
Carney said in response that members of the Canadian forces in the region are “all safe and sound.”
“We are not engaged in these actions of the U.S. and Israel. We’re not engaged in offensive actions, and we will not be engaged in those actions,” he said.
Defence Minister David McGuinty and Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan took part in a cabinet meeting Thursday morning on Parliament Hill. Neither answered questions from reporters stationed in the hallway outside the meeting room.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told reporters she did not have any information about an attack on the Kuwait airbase and could not confirm the newspaper’s reporting.
“I have not been privy to some of the reporting that has developed, but I did speak with Minister McGuinty this morning, and he affirmed to me that all lives are accounted for,” Anand said at a Thursday press conference where she was giving an update on humanitarian aid in the region.
Anand also said she will be travelling abroad next week to continue diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East.
Canada has some 200 military personnel in the Middle East at six different locations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2026.
Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press
