Government hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

I have long said that you could fund the CAF to 4 percent of GDP, but we would still lag behind in NATO and be much the same where we are.

It's never the money, it's politics. It's procedures. It's the pork-barreling in our defence spending that makes us a paper tiger in NATO.

My only hope in all of this for the CAF and the GoC, whatever the political stripe that may be, is that it will rouse them out of the "Peace Dividend" slumber. The world has been unstable since 1945. We have used geography, proximity, and association as a Defence Policy ever since. ICBMs don't care how close to the U.S. or how far from Russia/China we are.

Don't give us a dime more, but let us spend money on defence like it matters. The fact we follow the same rules for purchasing a fighter aircraft as we do for buying office furniture for a Service Canada office is disgraceful. Don't treat defense procurement as a stimulus package for Canadian Industry. There I said it.

We spend so much money, time, and effort trying to get that money to stay in Canada; be it by awarding contracts to companies with no capability to produce items without first "retooling" and"developing the production lines", or by hamstringing perfectly competent and competitive bidders by forcing the project to be made in St. Margaret de Poutain de Champignon, QC because the ruling government either lost the seat in the election, or won it with promises.

We spend so much money and staff hours jumping through TBS regulations that are great for other departments, but are terrible for defence procurement. Some items you have to sole source, because there are technologies and capabilities no one else makes. By doing the bid process, you get companies clamoring for a project they can't deliver on, but because they tick the bright boxes on the score sheet....

I truly and honestly belief we need to split from PSPC and legislate that its not beholden to TBS, only to the PBO/PCO. The guiding principles of this new Defence Procurement department should be "Off the shelf, from somewhere else" if there isn't an industry in Canada.

BOOTFORGEN has demonstrated how well we do when we are able to actually get what we need, instead of lining the pockets of a Canadian company that got lucky.

That, but with tanks, fighters, ships, weapons systems....

 

[Halifax Tar]

I would like to see a more prosperous Country that harnesses it's wealth of national resources. That seems to be an idea not shared by most Canadians, especially the 50% that live below this line:

I've come to accept that we aren't going to agree on much and we have very little in common when it comes to values. It isn't very tough for me though, it's going to be a lot tougher for them when their standard of living continues to decline. I'm not too worried about my standard of living at the moment.

Hey man the way we are set up they get to drive the ship. Like you I think we squander our potential.

 

[ytz]

I know work has been done to increase capacity with BMQs at other bases, 3-5 platoons seem to graduate from CFLRS every couple weeks (I follow the commandant on Twitter) in theory whats holding us back is instructors. Even CFLRS needed ARes augmentation

There's other issues too. Security clearances come to mind. Can't use them if not cleared. Even if trained.

 

[ytz]

The CPC has zero chance of forming the next government. They are a political party that consistently shoots itself in the in the pants and out the foot. Every time.

Zero chance? That's a bit much. Polls have moved. But every poll aggregator has them in majority territory still. And we haven't seen a real inter party debate. Heck, in the French debate, Carney accidentally said he agrees with Hamas and needed a French lesson from Freeland. So I say, it is way to early to say what will or will not happen.

The ground has shifted a lot in a short time. Whether they can adapt to changing situations will determine how they do.

Nobody would have really supported the idea of a Global War on Terror on September 10th 2001 either. When British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was asked what was the greatest challenge for a statesman, his answer was: 'Events, dear boy, events'.

 

[ytz]

I would like to see a more prosperous Country that harnesses its wealth of national resources. That seems to be an idea not shared by most Canadians, especially the 50% that live below this line:

I don't think this is an accurate take. More that they don't want to bear the risk for those resources. It's a fair demand. And I don't see why, for example, pipelines simply just can't be built to Hudson Bay, or the Great Lakes, or further down the St-Lawrence. I don't get the perpetual insistence that there is only one solution and nothing else is acceptable.

 

[Cloud Cover]

Zero chance? That's a bit much. Polls have moved. But every poll aggregator has them in majority territory still. And we haven't seen a real inter party debate. Heck, in the French debate, Carney accidentally said he agrees with Hamas and needed a French lesson from Freeland. So I say, it is way to early to say what will or will not happen.


Nobody would have really supported the idea of a Global War on Terror on September 10th 2001 either. When British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was asked what was the greatest challenge for a statesman, his answer was: 'Events, dear boy, events'.

As of today every polling firm has the LPC surpassing the CPC even in BC.
Pollievre needs to start clubbing Carney like a baby seal. And he will. And after that if Carney ends up dealing with Trump, The Donald will just pick up Pollievre’s club and thump this whole country.

 

[dapaterson]

As of today every polling firm has the LPC surpassing the CPC even in BC.
Pollievre needs to start clubbing Carney like a baby seal. And he will. And after that if Carney ends up dealing with Trump, The Donald will just pick up Pollievre’s club and thump this whole country.

Not enough time. LPC vote in 2 weeks, new PM sworn in and asks the GG to drop the writ

 

[MilEME09]

As of today every polling firm has the LPC surpassing the CPC even in BC.
Pollievre needs to start clubbing Carney like a baby seal. And he will. And after that if Carney ends up dealing with Trump, The Donald will just pick up Pollievre’s club and thump this whole country.

Clubbing Carney is what he is doing right now, and thats part of the issue with his communication strategy he is focusing more on demonizing Carney then he is selling him self as a PM in waiting, Canadians know more about Freeland and Carneys military plans then the CPC.

 

[CountDC]

What was that?

There's other issues too. Security clearances come to mind. Can't use them if not cleared. Even if trained.

Security clearances have always been an issue so nothing new there. In fact that is probably the problem, nothing new there other than making it digital instead of using a typewriter. A complete review of the process and staffing levels is needed to identify the bottle neck and how to resolve it. Perhaps even do sub-section set up - sect 1 for born in Canada, 2 for immigrated citizens, 3 for permanent residents. This way sect 1 is not delayed because of 2 or 3 taking so much time.

A change that can be made to what we use to have is the enhanced reliability. Was surprise when a MCpl working for me that had worked at CFRC prior explained that it is contracted to an outside company that generally takes at least 6 months to complete and all they have to do is make 3 phone calls. We use to make those phone calls ourself and sign off the ERC within a week. Sure there are always a few that are harder to complete but anyone that is a Canadian citizen shouldn't take that long. Mine was done the next day thankfully as at 6 months I would have moved on.

 

[dapaterson]

We are bound by foreign restrictions on tech that we buy from them. It's fine to complain about security clearance, but if the Grand Dutchy of Monrovia sells us rifles and insists we only permit people cleared TSSA to handle them, and that no citizens or former citizens of Mars may use them, then we are bound by those restrictions.

 

[FSTO]

Did I hear Gould correctly that she wanted to establish a Canadian Foreign Intelligence service?

 

[Cloud Cover]

Did I hear Gould correctly that she wanted to establish a Canadian Foreign Intelligence service?

Yes. She means adding more foreigners to CSIS.

 

[MilEME09]

Did I hear Gould correctly that she wanted to establish a Canadian Foreign Intelligence service?

Shows how much she knows about the issue when we already have CSIS

 

[Furniture]

Clubbing Carney is what he is doing right now, and thats part of the issue with his communication strategy he is focusing more on demonizing Carney then he is selling him self as a PM in waiting, Canadians know more about Freeland and Carneys military plans then the CPC.

If you think the average Canadian is tuned into what is being said by LPC candidates, you're kidding yourself.

The only people really watching the LPC race right now are the politically engaged, who have already made up their minds.

 

[PrairieFella]

As of today every polling firm has the LPC surpassing the CPC even in BC.
Pollievre needs to start clubbing Carney like a baby seal. And he will. And after that if Carney ends up dealing with Trump, The Donald will just pick up Pollievre’s club and thump this whole country.

PP needs to resign for a centrist or a Tory that won't be viewed as suspicious or disloyal. PP has become completely toxic politically. I think the Conservatives are snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

 

[FSTO]

Shows how much she knows about the issue when we already have CSIS

AFAIK, CISIS does not have the mandate to conduct intelligence gathering in foreign countries (like MI6 or the CIA) and I think that is what she meant.
I wait to be proven wrong though.

 

[FSTO]

PP needs to resign for a centrist or a Tory that won't be viewed as suspicious or disloyal. PP has become completely toxic politically. I think the Conservatives are snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Too late for that. The CPC has to ride this horse to the end.

How much damage will this Brookfield thing do to Carney?

 

[PrairieFella]

Too late for that. The CPC has to ride this horse to the end.

How much damage will this Brookfield thing do to Carney?

I dont think its too late. They have until October when an election must happen. During that interregnum with Carney as PM, they can hammer the Liberals and build an actual plan that isn't "Verbing the Noun".

 

[Czech_pivo]

AFAIK, CISIS does not have the mandate to conduct intelligence gathering in foreign countries (like MI6 or the CIA) and I think that is what she meant.
I wait to be proven wrong though.

Previous law stated that CSIS was only allowed to collect this intelligence within Canada but due to an updated law in 2016 they are now allowed to collect that intelligence abroad as well. CSIS has served in many different countries, especially after 9/11.

 

[suffolkowner]

I dont think its too late. They have until October when an election must happen. During that interregnum with Carney as PM, they can hammer the Liberals and build an actual plan that isn't "Verbing the Noun".

i think Carney will pull the trigger immediately. Take advantage of the momentum and situation. 37 day election. Previously the other parties said they were going to bring the government down when it got back anyway

 

[PrairieFella]

i think Carney will pull the trigger immediately. Take advantage of the momentum and situation. 37 day election. Previously the other parties said they were going to bring the government down when it got back anyway

Fair point. This election is going to suck, either four more years of the Liberals with what I hope is better management or PP as PM. Yikes.