Blair defends navy’s Cuba visit, says critics may be ‘confused’ about its purpose

OTTAWA — Defence Minister Bill Blair says he was acting on advice from the military when he approved a plan to send a Canadian ship to Cuba, but he won’t say what advice he got.

The trip is getting attention this week because the Canadian navy ship was docked along with a Russian flotilla.

Blair says the Russian ships in Havana pose “no immediate threat” to Canada or Canadians, and the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Joint Operations Command advised to send a ship.

In an April press release, the navy said HMCS Margaret Brooke was being deployed to Havana to mark 80 years of diplomatic relations with Cuba.