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HALIFAX, N.S. - Defence Minister Peter MacKay says Canada is examining training programs for the Honduran military in light of the coup in that country.
The Canadian assistance program gives soldiers language and peacekeeping training at military bases in Canada and pays for similar courses in South America.
"We have a very small number of Hondurans who were taking part," MacKay said Friday after an announcement in Halifax. "We're talking about four or five people."
In June, members of the military ousted the democratically elected Honduran president and thrust the Central American country into turmoil last month.
The Canadian government issued a statement condemning the coup. It also supported the suspension of Honduras from the Organization of American States and is backing the mediation efforts of Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.
But critics have questioned why Canada hasn't taken a more definitive stance on the coup.
Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae has called for the suspension of the military training program.
The U.S., which has major military operations in Honduras, announced a week after the coup that it was suspending $17.9 million in military aid and an estimated $195 million in development aid. The EU also suspended development aid of about $100 million.
Peter Kent, minister of state for foreign affairs, said earlier this week that the federal government is not cutting the $16.4 million in development aid it provides each year to Honduras.
