News Release - Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff hosts the French Chief of Defence for bi-lateral discussions

NR - 13.064 - February 25, 2013

OTTAWA – The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Tom Lawson, hosted Admiral Édouard Guillaud this past week as the two held formal bi-lateral discussions and attended other engagements. The aim of this two-day visit was to strengthen the bi-lateral relationship between Canada and France, and to build on the work already done through the two nations’ Partners in Defence initiative.

“I was very pleased to host Admiral Guillaud. The Admiral’s second visit to Canada was an excellent opportunity for us to further the military-to-military talks that have taken place between France and Canada over the last couple of years,” said General Lawson. “The increased depth and breadth of our cooperation attests to the professionalism of our servicemen and women, and to our continued efforts to improve interoperability between our forces. I expect we will continue to see further positive developments in our already excellent defence partnership in the years to come.”

"I accepted an invitation to visit Canada in recognition of the importance of our shared Franco-Canadian relationship, and the value we place on this Trans-Atlantic link,” stated Admiral Guillaud prior to his departure from Canada.

The Canadian Armed Forces and the Armed forces of France enjoy a close relationship based on a long history of common interests and values. Canada and France share a desire to ensure that the NATO Alliance continues to bind North American and European security while ensuring the Alliance has the modern, flexible and agile capabilities it needs to defend the populations and territories of its members and deal with the challenges of the 21st century.

The focus of this visit was to discuss how Canada and France could build upon their existing defence relationship. Both countries participate in military staff and training exchange programs, joint military exercises in Canada and abroad, as well as in international operations, most recently in Mali where the Canadian Armed Forces contributed a CC-177 Globemaster III strategic airlift aircraft in support of Opération Serval, in Afghanistan (as part of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force), and over Libya in support of the NATO-led Operation Unified Protector.

In addition to participating in those activities specific to Admiral Guillaud’s meetings with General Lawson, the pair also attended and spoke at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute’s annual conference on Defence and Security on February 22, 2013, in Ottawa.

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For more information about the Office of the Chief of the Defence Staff, please visit his Website at: www.forces.gc.ca/site/ocds-bcemd/index-eng.asp

For more information about Canada’s involvement in Mali, please consult the following Website: http://www.cjoc-coic.forces.gc.ca/exp/mali/index-eng.asp

For more information about Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan, please consult the following Website:
http://www.cjoc-coic.forces.gc.ca/exp/attention/index-eng.asp