Minister of National Defence David McGuinty makes his way past reporters as he walks to caucus on Parliament Hill, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

By The Canadian Press

Minister says he learned from newspaper Iranian strike may have hit Canadian assets

Mar 19, 2026 | 9:24 AM

OTTAWA — Defence Minister David McGuinty said he did not learn about a report of potential damage to Canadian assets from an Iranian airstrike on an airbase in Kuwait until a Quebec newspaper reported on it.

The minister still refuses to confirm if the attack struck or damaged any Canadian assets at the base.

“I didn’t know about it until La Presse reported on it,” McGuinty said in response to a reporter’s question at a news conference in Kitchener, Ont. on Thursday. “I saw the La Presse story while I was overseas.”

La Presse reported on March 12 that an analysis of satellite imagery suggests the small Canadian section of the Ali Al-Salem airbase sustained damage in an attack on March 1.

McGuinty was travelling to Norway with Prime Minister Mark Carney the day the La Presse story was published.

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He said he won’t comment further for “operational security” reasons.

“This is something we do not talk about. I don’t know why this is a difficult thing to get through,” McGuinty said. “We do not put the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces in harm’s way or at risk. We do not share operational information.”

The federal Conservatives are accusing the government of being too secretive about the war and point out that Canada’s allies are openly sharing such information.

Conservative defence critic James Bezan contends that the government can still inform Canadians in a responsible way without compromising the security of Canadian troops in the region.

“It is time for this government to end their culture of secrecy,” Bezan said in an emailed statement earlier this week.

Some Canadian federal party leaders with top-secret security clearance are now calling for a closed-door briefing on the airstrike.

McGuinty suggested Thursday that the Liberal government will consider whether to provide a briefing to them, but he did not commit to one.

Canada has some 200 military personnel stationed in the Middle East in six different locations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2026.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press