The exercises, planned for 2019 at CFB Petawawa, Ont., were cancelled by Gen. Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff, shortly after the arrest of the two Michaels

A memo from Global Affairs to the deputy minister for foreign affairs, stated, “Given the heightened scrutiny, any decision by Canada to reduce/cut ties should be carefully considered to avoid sending any unhelpful or unintended messages.”

According to the documents, concerns about the winter exercises were raised on the margins of a conference involving the Five Eyes (FEYs) intelligence gathering countries — Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. The concerns apparently originated from the U.S.