February 16, 2023 – The Federal Government announced the deployment of two Royal Canadian Navy Kingston-class auxiliary vessels to Haiti in light of the worsening security crisis in the country. Canada is providing this assistance in response to Haiti’s request for assistance as violence continues to escalate in the country.

The unarmed HMCS Glace Bay and Moncton, with a combined company of over 90 Royal Canadian Navy sailors, will conduct presence patrols in and around Haitian waters in the coming weeks, focusing on the waters in the vicinity of Port-au-Prince.

The deployment to the region will contribute to Canada’s maritime situational awareness and will seek to bolster efforts to establish and maintain peace and security for the people of Haiti.

The Kingston-class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDVs) were intended to replace the existing training ships in the 1990s and lack any combat capabilities.

HMCS Glace Bay and Moncton have been deployed since mid-January on Operation PROJECTION in West Africa, building security relationships and capacity with nations in the Gulf of Guinea. They are expected to arrive in Haitian waters in the coming weeks and remain in the region for a number of weeks.

La Prensa photo