Technical problems with a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) aircraft prevented Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his delegation from leaving New Delhi, India, on Sunday after the G20 summit.
Published at 12:12 p.m. Updated at 12:43 p.m.
“As we were leaving for the airport, we were informed by the Canadian Forces that aircraft CFC001 was experiencing technical problems. Since these issues cannot be resolved this evening, our delegation will remain in India until other arrangements are made,” briefly indicated the Prime Minister’s entourage, which was briefed on the situation on the way to the airport.
More specifically, this means that the Canadian delegation will remain in India until another return trip can be arranged.
This is not the first time problems have arisen with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), which has operated five CC-150 Polaris aircraft since 1992. The federal government assumes that they will reach the end of their useful life in about four years, around 2027. In July, a contract was also signed with Airbus Defense and Space for the acquisition of additional aircraft.
In theory, Mr. Trudeau should return to Ottawa this Monday. He arrived in New Delhi on Saturday for the G20 summit that brought together the world’s major economies, marking the end of his trip to the Indo-Pacific.
While in New Delhi, Prime Minister Trudeau suggested that if he had his way, the G20 leaders’ statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine would have been much stronger.
The Liberal leader also pointed out that the statement would have been much weaker if other leaders had done what they wanted. He called the G20 an “extremely diverse group” and added that representatives were working very hard to send “as strong a message as possible.”
Ultimately, world business leaders agreed on a final compromise statement with watered-down terms for dealing with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It calls for an end to military destruction or other attacks on infrastructure as violence affects food and energy security and supply chains.
“Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is not only criminal and unacceptable, killing thousands of people, but also creating an energy crisis and food insecurity around the world,” he said. The site criticized Justin Trudeau on the spot.
With the Canadian Press