Let me say from the outset that I actually support the provision of satellite services from Canada to the Ukrainian military. What's happening through the Russian invasion is an almost existential issue of international security, so I support what's happening.
My point is that I'm not sure that careful consideration was given in March 2022 as to the possible implications of allowing companies like MDA and Telesat to provide frontline support. What I mean by frontline support is communications and targeting imagery that are actually used in targeting. It creates potential risks. Not only is the satellite potentially a legitimate target, so is the ground station. Where is the ground station? It's in Richmond, B.C.
I don't think that Russia wants to escalate the conflict by bringing NATO into a direct armed conflict. I think that's holding Russia back from targeting western satellites like RADARSAT-2, but Russian decision-making is not something we should be reliant on. We shouldn't be reliant on Russia exercising restraint. We should be carefully considering all of these possible implications—