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Fifty patrols of the Canadian Rangers, Canada’s largely aboriginal reserve force, has been activated to full-time readiness for assistance primarily in the Arctic and northern regions.

“When Canada needs their armed forces, they are always there,” Sajjan said. “During these unprecedented times, those who wear the uniform will be there for Canadians when called upon.

“We will provide local commanders the authority to be flexible in our assistance to ensure that local needs are met quickly.”

So far, the military has not received any “formal request for assistance,” Sajjan said Monday. On Friday, the military said there had been “no requests” for assistance, suggesting some discussions of the need for military assistance may be underway.

The military says the pandemic’s threat to the nation is real and significant.

“The Canadian Armed Forces does not see any greater threat to ourselves or Canadians than what has been described by health authorities,” Department of National Defence spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier told National Post on Friday.

When Canada needs their armed forces, they are always there

The forces were balancing its current activities while “preserving adequate capacity to surge in a scale when needed the most, and still be able to respond to unforeseen events,” such as natural disasters and national security threats.

The military’s response to a global pandemic is codenamed Operation Laser. It is a three-phase fall-back plan.

The forces’ 1st Canadian Division, a high-readiness, rapid-response unit based at Kingston, Ont., was designated as Joint Task Force-Laser, responsible for the coordination and command of all domestic operations of the pandemic plan.