Good morning, everyone.

This is an absolutely extraordinary deployment, an extraordinary group of women and men. And it is my pleasure to greet the members of the Canadian Armed Forces and our NATO Allies.

It is a tremendous honour for me and the Minister of National Defence of Canada to be with you here today at the Ādaži base. The Minister and I have just come from a trip where we've been in Riga, Berlin, Warsaw, and Kyiv. It is fitting that we have been building up to this moment to conclude our trip here at the Ādaži base, standing with so many courageous men and women who defend our values, our freedom and our security every day.

This, as we have seen this morning, is much more than a military base.

It is an anchor of service, co-operation, and security – in a more divided world where we must once again contend with hard power, contested borders, and authoritarian aggression.

Those serving in uniform at this base represent over a dozen Allied nations.

Allies who train together in advanced combat and strategy. Allies who work together seamlessly.

This is one of the impressive accomplishments of this base – working together seamlessly to preserve peace and security in Latvia, collective security in the Baltics, in Europe, and across NATO.

Thank you. 

Thank you for the duty and devotion that you demonstrate every day.

When the Minister and I were in Kyiv on Sunday for Ukrainian Independence Day, it would be difficult for us to overstate the enormous gratitude that was conveyed to us by the Ukrainian people for Canada's contributions and the contributions of our Allies to their freedom and independence.

That includes more than 45,000 Ukrainian security service members who have been trained by Canadian soldiers as part of Operation UNIFIER.

We will see some of those soldiers later today.

Ukrainians know that Canada and our Allies stand with them. They know that their cause is our cause. That we stand with them for freedom, democracy, and independence.

And so it was in 1991, when Canada became the first G7 nation to recognize Latvia's independence, when it courageously reclaimed independence after decades of Soviet rule.

When Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, Canada, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, launched Operation UNIFIER, sending hundreds of Canadian Armed Forces personnel to Ukraine to train Ukrainian troops to fight Russian aggression.

And in April of that year, more than 100 members of the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed here to Latvia to begin Operation REASSURANCE.

Today, it gives a sense of what's been built on that core.

Three years later, as Russia's threats to the Baltics intensified, Canada stepped up to lead the NATO Battle Group here at the Ādaži base and added 450 more of our troops.

Today, this Battle Group has grown into a major multinational Brigade, with Canada leading more than 3,500 soldiers from those 14 nations.

Working together to deter and defend against Russian aggression on NATO's Eastern Flank and to fortify our shared defence by air, land, and sea.

Since its inception, the need for Operation REASSURANCE has, unfortunately, only intensified.

In Kyiv on Sunday, I recalled decades ago when President Ronald Reagan led a peace effort with the Russians, he adopted the slogan “Trust but Verify.”

But Vladimir Putin is not Mikhail Gorbachev.

Putin seeks darkness, not glasnost.

He seeks Empire, not perestroika.

We cannot “Trust but Verify” with Putin.

We must deter and fortify:

Deter new aggression and fortify our shared defence.

That is why yesterday, the Minister and I announced the extension of Canada's Operation REASSURANCE for another three years.

This renewal will increase capabilities in Latvia to reinforce our collective defence, bolster our co-operative security, and strengthen our NATO deterrence.

The extension of Operation REASSURANCE is part of our broader mission to rebuild, rearm, and reinvest in the Canadian Armed Forces.

This June, along with our NATO Allies, we committed to NATO's new defence pledge of investing 5% of our annual GDP in the next decade.

For Canada, this will represent a quadrupling of our defence expenditures in cash terms by the end of this decade. This year alone, we are making additional investments of $9 billion. And we're working with urgency and determination to increase our defence capabilities to meet the threats that are growing in the world.

Our greatest strength is the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces. We entrust you with the responsibility of carrying this flag, representing our nation in service to our Allies and our most important values. You are the ones we trust to carry the Canadian flag, the ones who risk their lives for us.

In moments of crisis, when people see the maple leaf on a sleeve, they see hope. They get help.

Your pay should reflect the weight of your responsibilities.

That is why, last month, the Minister and I announced the largest pay raise in a generation for the Canadian Armed Forces, with all members of the CAF receiving a pay raise.

Those pay increases are retroactive to April 1 of this year and will be applied on top of base pay.

We are also introducing a new Military Service Pay benefit, recognizing the time spent in uniform.

We are increasing the pay for high-risk training and deployments, such as here.

And we are reforming posting allowances so that families disrupted by frequent relocations, including some of the soldiers here in Latvia, will receive greater support.

When members of the Armed Forces are mobilized at home or overseas, they will be able to focus on their mission without worrying about anything else. And that's how we make sure that when Canadians are in distress, when our allies call upon us for help, or when our sovereignty is threatened, the Canadian Armed Forces are ready.

To support the women and men of our armed forces, we are making major investments in our military capacities.

In June, we struck a new EU-Canada Security and Defence partnership, leading to Canada's participation in the European Safe Initiative and the launch of the ReArm Europe Plan.

By doing so, we will be able to partner with our European Allies to invest in new drones, new ships, new aircraft, and new munitions more quickly and more economically.

Back home, we are creating a new defence procurement agency to build at pace – so the women and men of the armed forces have the cutting-edge military equipment that they need and deserve. These investments will modernize our military and fortify our leadership role in the world.

If we are to deter Russian aggression in the Baltic states and across Europe, if we are to ensure lasting peace in Ukraine, to defend and promote our values of freedom, democracy, and peace, Canada must do so from a position of strength.

In short, if we want a safer world, we need a stronger Canada.

And so, it is the service of the women and men behind me that makes Canada strong.

As we confront the challenges facing the world at this hinge moment in history, Canada's leadership will be measured not only by the strength of our values, but also the value of our strength.

This is the strength on the very frontline in the struggle between authoritarianism and democracy, between freedom and fear.

In no small part because of your service and your sacrifice, it is a struggle we will win.

Thank you very much.