Domestic Stories

US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WELCOMES HMCS TORONTO

The following proclamation welcoming HMCS Toronto to Cleveland was read in the US House of Representatives on July 14, 2005. The visit came as part of the Halifax-class frigate's Great Lakes Tour, which has taken the ship to Toronto and Windsor and will continue on to Chicago, Hamilton, Goderich and Kingston. This marked Toronto's first visit to Cleveland, and comes after the ship's deployment to the Arabian (Persian) Gulf January-July 2004 on Operation ALTAIR, Canada's contribution to the war on terror. Toronto took advantage of the historic opportunity to open her doors to the public on her port visit to Cleveland, eager to meet her American allies after being part of the U.S.-led coalition against terrorism.

NOTE:  The following transcript is presented in the language(s) in which it occurred. There is no translation available.  We are providing the transcript for your information.

Dennis J. Kucinich
OF OHIO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WELCOMING HER MAJESTY’S CANADIAN SHIP TORONTO TO CLEVELAND, OHIO

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Toronto, where she makes Cleveland her first United States stop on a series of port calls along the Great Lakes on Friday July 15, 2005.

The HMCS Toronto is a multi-role patrol frigate built in St. John, New Brunswick, in 1992 and commissioned in Toronto, Ontario, in 1993. Certified operational in 1994 and homeported in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Toronto has distinguished itself and Canada through its participation in some of the world’s most sensitive operations of the last decade.

The Toronto participated in Operation Sharp Guard in 1994, patrolling of the coast of the former Yugoslavia to restrict importation of arms and fuel in an effort to end the civil war in Bosnia- Herzogovina. In 1995, the Toronto joined Operation Victory in Europe, an international flotilla of warships to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Allies’ victory in Europe. As part of the Standing Naval Force Atlantic in 1997, the Toronto deployed for North Atlantic operations with the NATO squadron and was involved in a major Search and Rescue operation off the coast of Spain. In 1998, the Toronto participated in U.N. patrols in the northern Arabian Gulf to affect an embargo against Iraq. In November of that year, the Toronto became the flagship for the Canadian Task Group Atlantic, beginning an intensive year of operation, sailing in every Task Group exercise.

In 1999, the Toronto participated in Exercise El Morro Castle, a series of successful missile engagements against target drones and missiles, confirming the effectiveness of the ship’s advanced missile defense system and crew’s training. As part of the 2000 Search and Rescue operation at the site of the sinking M/V Leader L, the crew was involved in the rescue of 13 crew members in an accident in which 18 men perished. The following year, the Toronto responded to a distress call of a sinking fishing boat while conducting work-ups off the Nova Scotia coast and rescued 3 crew members in an accident that claimed 1 life. In 2001-02, the Toronto deployed in the eastern Mediterranean with NATO’s Standing Naval Force Atlantic, and later to the northern Arabian Sea in international security operations. In 2003, the Toronto participated in Operation Splinter, aiding in the clean-up and restoration of Halifax following the devastation of Hurricane Juan. Last year, the Toronto returned to the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Gulf as Canada’s contribution to the Global War on Terrorism.

Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, I am pleased that the officers and crew of the HMCS Toronto chose Cleveland as their first U.S. stop on the 2005 Great Lakes Tour. I welcome the Toronto to Cleveland and wish the Toronto, its officers and crew, and Canada, much success in their endeavors around the world.

(Published in the Congressional Record of July 14, 2005)

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