The Canadian military is making plans to deploy up to 5,000 army personnel to provide security at the G-8 summit next month in Kananaskis, Alta.
Dubbed Operation Grizzly, the mission will involve regular and reserve forces from Land Force Western Area, the command responsible for all army units in Western Canada, including members of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry who are currently involved in a combat mission in Afghanistan.
"Preparations are still under- way so we're not exactly sure of the numbers," said Department of National Defence spokesman Capt. Dave Sullivan.
"I can tell you it's called Op Grizzly. The Canadian Forces will be having a support role, supporting both the Department of Foreign Affairs and the RCMP."
Pressed on what role the military troops will be playing in guarding the Rocky Mountain resort area during the June 26-27 summit that will host the leaders of the G-8, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and five African leaders, Sullivan said it is too early to say.
"It's just too early to tell what will be and what won't be."
Military analysts expect about 2,000 army reserves will be used to help the 1,400-strong RCMP deployment cordon off the forested region around the summit site as well as provide surveillance and monitoring assistance.
Defence Minister Art Eggleton has said the military will only be at G-8 in support of the RCMP, if needed, and has repeatedly said the government's new anti-terrorism bill cannot be used to declare Kananaskis a military security zone.
He has refused to say how many military personnel will be involved in providing summit security, or if they will be there at all.
Canadian Forces will also enforce restricted air space around Kananaskis during the summit with CF-18s based in Calgary.
"Any unauthorized aircraft operating within or attempting to enter the restricted air space will be intercepted, and, if necessary, forced down by armed aircraft," said Sullivan.
Robert Huebert, associate director of the University of Calgary's Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, said a deployment of 5,000 troops will even further thin Canada's already overstretched resources.
"We will probably have the capability for those five or six days that they're going to be required but what it means is that we'd better hope that nothing else turns up at that point in time. I also suspect that we will, very quietly, stretch all of our other commitments to the thinnest point. Even if we don't rotate out of Bosnia and Afghanistan, we'll probably bring back our specialists for this."
Canada has 800 troops in Afghanistan who are to complete their mission in July, but there is growing speculation that mission will be extended or that another contingent will be "rotated" in to replace them.
If there is another rotation, the troops in Afghanistan now will likely face delays in coming home because of the time needed for training and deployment of replacements.
Canada also has about 1,700 troops on a Bosnia peacekeeping operation, an exercise that recently passed its 10th anniversary and shows little sign of being wound down.
Land Force Western Area includes more than 6,000 regular forces, 4,900 reserves and 1,100 civilians. Much of Operation Grizzly is likely to involve reserves helping with patrolling the forest around the summit site, but Huebert says there are some tasks, such as processing intelligence, that cannot be given to reserve forces.
"They're very willing but there's a real question in terms of land forces about the amount of money that's been provided for their training," he says.
"As normal, our personnel are being stretched to the full limit. When you're overtasked like this, the big problem that the Forces face is that if you make a mistake, which becomes very understandable in very stressful, over-tasked situations, is that you know that the individual will be left out to dry for the mistake and not the system."
Meanwhile, the Calgary Herald reported that protesters hoping to create a Solidarity Village near the G-8 summit have been shut out of Kananaskis Country.
Dave Nielsen, director of Kananaskis Country, said Monday the province will not permit thousands of protesters to camp on provincial land in Kananaskis during the summit.
"We don't want to see it in Kananaskis," Nielsen said.
"Any protest camp in Kananaskis would have strong concerns associated with it, environmentally and . . . (in terms of) control and orderliness."
If Solidarity Village isn't located near Kananaskis, it would be a major disappointment for many activists across Canada, the United States and Europe who hope to use it as a launching pad to infiltrate the summit site.
Melissa Scaman, a local protest organizer, said activists coming to Alberta for the G-8 summit should be prepared to hold their protests in Calgary.
"Things will be focused on Calgary, it won't be focused on Kananaskis," Scaman said.
"You won't get anywhere close to Kananaskis. If you do want to, you're going to be on your own."
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