"Ceros" gives name to the military base "Camp Labrie" of the Canadian-led NATO multinational brigade
On Tuesday, July 1, Canada's national holiday – Canada Day – State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Aivars Puriņš participated in the naming ceremony of the Canadian-led NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia's military base in Ceros, Mārupe district. The base was named after Canadian soldier Patrick Labrie – “Camp Labrie”.
Today, July 1, Canada Day, also known as Canada's birthday, the 17th Combat Support Battalion of the National Guard in Ceros, Mārupe County, played bagpipes and raised a flag, opening the new Canadian-led NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia military base, Camp Labrie. It is named in honor of Canadian soldier Patrick Labrie , who died while serving in Canada's largest foreign mission, Reassurance, in Bulgaria in 2019.
The event was attended by Canadian Ambassador to Latvia Brian Szwarc, Chief of Defence of the Republic of Latvia, Major General Kaspars Pudāns, Commander of the Canadian Armed Forces Command in Latvia (Task Force Latvia) Colonel Jim Smith, as well as relatives and friends of Canadian soldier Patrick Labrie.
The infrastructure of the military base is currently being developed, and it is planned that as early as July 2025 it will be able to accommodate up to 700 Canadian soldiers, who will perform their service duties in Latvia on a rotational basis. “Camp Labrie” has an area of approximately 178 thousand square meters, it is planned to have offices, workshops and maintenance facilities, barracks and a gym. The headquarters of the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia and other brigade units will be located on the territory of the military base.
Naming Canadian military bases after soldiers is a way to commemorate and honor fallen soldiers. The base is named after Patrick Labrie, who had a close connection with the service in Latvia - in 2018 he served in the Canadian-led multinational NATO Extended Presence Battle Group. The soldier tragically died while performing his duty during exercises in Bulgaria.
Canada is the lead nation of the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia, playing a key role in coordinating with Latvia and its allies the composition of the force and the infrastructure necessary for its deployment. Latvia, together with Canada's allies, is working on infrastructure development, such as road improvements and reconstruction, to ensure the future movement of military transport to and from the Ceri military base.
It has already been reported that in July 2024, the NATO multinational battle group in Latvia was expanded to brigade level and the new NATO multinational brigade in Latvia was established, which will consist of more than 3,500 soldiers. It is planned that the brigade will reach full combat readiness by 2026. The expansion of the Canadian-led NATO multinational brigade in Latvia is necessary to ensure the security of Latvia and NATO's eastern flank.
Latvia has close relations with Canada, which is the lead country of the NATO multinational brigade deployed in Latvia. The allied brigade brings together soldiers from Canada, Albania, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Canada is also a member of the international Drone Coalition in Support of Ukraine and is involved in the training of Ukrainian soldiers.
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