U.S. and Canada pen new "defense" agreements
Canada and the U.S. have finalized one agreement and renewed another to better co-ordinate civilian and military forces against "threats". - Defence Minister Peter MacKay, speaking Tuesday night to a group of defence officials, diplomats and civil servants, said the two countries were expected Wednesday to renew the Civil Assistance Plan and sign off on the Combined Defence Plan. His office confirmed Wednesday they had been signed. The civil assistance agreement lets military personnel and equipment deploy rapidly to humanitarian events, MacKay said in notes prepared for his speech to the Permanent Joint Board on Defence. The defence agreement sets out the authority and means for the two countries to approve homeland military operations against "threats", as well as the process for sharing information.