Minister says CAF 'not engaged' in Iran war as questions are asked about support role

Canadian Armed Forces members are "not engaged" in the "prosecution" of the war against Iran, Defence Minister David McGuinty said Tuesday when asked whether some Canadians are serving in support roles.

The Canadian Press asked McGuinty at a news conference in Brampton, Ont., whether the Canadian military is involved in the war — and whether Royal Canadian Air Force members are taking part in airborne radar operations with the U.S. air force in the region.

"It's very important for Canadians to understand Canada was not consulted before this conflict began, Canada has not participated in this conflict and Canada has no intention of doing so," McGuinty said at a Tuesday news conference.

"We have members of the CAF in the region but they are not involved in the prosecution of this war. I am not in a position to reveal any more information than that for security reasons."

Defence research consultant Steffan Watkins, who closely tracks military ships and flights, said the language the minister used to talk about the war raises questions about whether Ottawa is obscuring Canadian activity in the region.

Watkins points out there is a division of the U.S. air force in which Canadians on a military exchange jointly operate E-3G Sentry AWACS radar aircraft with American personnel. The aircraft are sometimes dispatched on expeditionary operations overseas.

It's not clear if the aircraft are involved in the Iran war. Watkins said there's a good chance they are, since six have been deployed to an airbase in Saudi Arabia.

"To me, it's odds are that they're involved because there's nothing that says that they're not," Watkins said, adding that the government seems to be avoiding directly addressing the question about the radar planes.

McGuinty has said repeatedly Canada will not get involved "offensively" in the conflict. Watkins said the minister may be choosing his words carefully.

"It's not an offensive aircraft and they're leaving that window open in their language for Canadians to defend in the future," he said. "But they haven't closed the door saying that we're not already defending our allies on that plane on the American operation."

The Canadian Press has reached out to National Defence and the U.S. air force for more information, but has not yet received a response.

The minister also pushed back on the Conservatives' claim that the Liberal government is not being open and transparent about the extent to which Canada is being affected by the Iran war.

The newspaper La Presse reported last week that Canadian assets at a Kuwait airbase were apparently struck by an Iranian airstrike early into the war, something the government never reported.

"We will take our lead from the operational experts in the Canadian Armed Forces, who have a policy of being very careful about the security of our Canadian Armed Forces on the ground," McGuinty said. 

"I think it's up to the Conservative party to explain why they might want to pursue information or reveal information that might compromise that security," he said, before taking a swipe at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre for not obtaining a top security clearance.

Conservative defence critic James Bezan said the federal government kept the airstrike a secret from Canadians for nearly two weeks and could have disclosed the information without compromising the security of troops in the region.

"Our allies are doing it and the Liberals should as well, as was the practice under the previous Conservative government," Bezan said in an emailed statement to The Canadian Press Tuesday.

"It is time for this government to end their culture of secrecy. Canadians don’t need special security clearances for the Liberal government to treat them with respect.”

Canada has some 200 military personnel in the Middle East at six different locations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2026.