Yesterday, Canada expelled a number of Russian soldiers it had been training in a friendly cooperative exchange which is more common between large nations than you might think. The Russian soldiers were told that they had twenty four hours to leave Canada. Six of them were being trained in Quebec by Canadian forces, and one of them had been teaching Russian to Canadian troops.
This was in response to Russia's invasion of the Crimea which Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says is all planned bilateral activities between the Canadian Armed Forces and the military of the Russian Federation are suspended, including NORAD's Exercises.
Harper additionally said the government of Canada would not recognize the results of a referendum in Crimea on whether to join Russia because the region is “currently under illegal military occupation" and therefore can't possibly make an unbiased selection. Lawmakers in Crimea voted unanimously Thursday to leave Ukraine and join Russia. They have scheduled a referendum for March 16 so voters can weigh in on the decision. This vote was furthur denounced by the international community. Harper has also saidRussia’s invasion into the Crimean peninsula is “an act of aggression, a clear violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, and of international law.
