Tanks, fighter jets and about 1,500 Canadian soldiers have taken over some areas in Quebec for a series of training exercises as part of the army’s largest annual training event to prepare for a NATO mission.

It’s the first time the training exercise, referred to as Maple Resolve, is taking place in Quebec.

The soldiers, mostly based in Valcartier in Quebec City, are participating under the direction of the 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (5 CMBG), run by Col. Dave Brassard.

He calls this training period — taking place April 11 to April 24 across 30 sites in Quebec’s capital, Chaudière-Appalaches and Mauricie regions — a “final test” before deployment.

In June, the unit will take command of NATO’s Operation Reassurance in Latvia, aimed at strengthening the collective defense of allied countries in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Deploying for up to a year, the soldiers will be participating in deterrence along the Russian border.

In August 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada will keep troops in Latvia through to 2029. 

Lt.-Gen. M.C. Wright, commander of the Canadian Army, noted the mission to Latvia represents Canada’s largest overseas mission.

“It’s really great to see the exercise here,” he said. “It’s the same type of training that they will do in Latvia.”

Col. Brassard says this month’s training simulates co-operation between air and ground, and protecting and sustaining forces across long distances. From Riga, Latvia to the Russia border, it’s about 200 kilometres, he says.

He says the locations in Quebec chosen for training — mostly Crown land, municipal or private property — will help replicate what the unit will face in Latvia.  

“So here I wanted to really expand the brigade out of the base so we can actually get good training value,” he said. 

Col. Brassard says the training is designed to prepare soldiers for what he calls large-scale combat operations. 

“Over the last 15 to 20 years, Canada was either involved in peacekeeping or in Afghanistan. We were fighting what I would call counterinsurgency,” he said. 

“Things have changed now. With the return of great power competition, our potential adversaries we will be facing have [a] wide, large, modern, industrialized army.”

While locals might hear explosions and gunfire over the next week in communities across the province as part of the training, Col. Brassard noted it is blank ammunition and that the military is trying to minimize its impact on residents.

“We want to make sure that when we leave, we leave nothing behind so people will find their their land as it was before,” he said.