HAMILTON, Canada

Canada has cancelled a plan to donate refurbished light armored vehicles (LAVs) to Ukraine after a long-delayed contract was officially scrapped, according to a report on Tuesday.

Broadcaster CBC News reported that Defense Minister David McGuinty told a House of Commons committee that "there is a decision that's been taken to nullify the contract with that company presently."

According to the report, the project involved 25 decommissioned light armored vehicles that had been transferred to Ontario-based company Armatec Survivability to rebuild as part of military aid to Ukraine.

The agreement, estimated to be worth up to $250 million and managed through the Canadian Commercial Corporation, was intended to supplement Canada's supply of new armored support vehicles following Russia's war on Ukraine.

McGuinty declined to explain the decision. "I wish I could give you more insight into the reasoning behind the department's ... decision to cancel the contract, but I'm not in a position to do so," he said.

While Conservative Party lawmaker James Bezan accused the government of abandoning Ukraine, McGuinty affirmed that Canada continues to deliver new armored vehicles as part of its commitments to Kyiv.