Training or Active Combat? Media Barred From Photographing Canadian Troops

The federal government of Canada has prohibited the media from interviewing or filming Canadian troops leaving on NATO training mission in Eastern Europe; the measure is commonly implemented when soldiers leave for a combat mission.

Ekaterina Blinova – Canada's federal government has decided to prohibit the media from interviewing and taking photos of Canadian soldiers participating in NATO military drills in Eastern Europe, sparking new controversy.

Correspondents were barred from photographing the faces of the Canadian military contingent leaving Garrison Petawawa for Eastern Europe and were prohibited from mentioning the names of the soldiers. Almost 125 Canadian troops will take part in a three-month NATO military exercise in Poland and Latvia, according to media sources.

Commenting on the ruling, Lieutenant Jean-Francois Carpentier, a spokesman for the military base, cited security issues and qualified the decision as a "force protection measure." However, the spokesman failed to explain why the ban was imposed in the case of troops not engaged in an active military operation. The Canadian Joint Operations Command has not yet provided journalists with an explanation either.

Remarkably, a strikingly similar ban came into force in October 2014, when Canadian troops were leaving for Iraq in order to take part in a combat mission against the Islamic State. The measure was reinforced later due to the murder of two Canadian soldiers, who were allegedly killed by Islamists.

However, Canada's National Defense officials did not specify whether the restrictions would apply to all overseas missions, or if they'd been introduced due to some specific threats.