Canada is taking “positive” steps to boost its defence spending and military presence in Europe, but Canadians themselves need to take collective responsibility toward national security to counter growing threats from nations like Russia , Latvia’s envoy says.

In an interview with Global News in Vancouver, Kaspars Ozoliņš, Latvia’s ambassador to Canada, said “unfriendly countries” are not limited to geography as a means to influence or attack other nations, using everything from cyberattacks to disinformation. That requires businesses and civil society to defend critical infrastructure alongside government and military forces, he stressed.

“It’s not just about whether you spend two per cent or five per cent (of GDP on defence),” he said.

“There is an increased understanding (in La

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