Why Canada's Type 26 derivative can reasonably be called a destroyer

Is Canada justified in calling its Type 26-derived surface combatants destroyers?

Yes; their strong air-defense and general-purpose fit supports the destroyer label even though the British parent design is classed as a frigate.

The ships Canada is building derive from the Type 26 rather than the Type 31. Their Canadian configuration carries the strongest air-defense armament of the family and has a broader general-purpose emphasis. The destroyer label is therefore defensible even though the parent design is called a frigate. Modern fleets already operate frigates larger than some destroyers, so size alone cannot settle the name. The practical distinction increasingly maps destroyer to air warfare and frigate to anti-submarine warfare, with national policy still shaping the final label.