Government hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[Czech_pivo]

I think all options should be explored for spouses of CAF members in order to promote their employment opportunities.

Absolutely - radical suggestion I know will upset some people, instead of forcing public servants to return to office, there seems to be indication that it's productivity increased with working from home. So make as many PS jobs that can be done from home, able to be done from home. We reduce traffic and fixed office costs. Given preference to hiring military spouses and you now open a huge chunk of PS jobs to military spouses who can be moved around without consequence to their position. In addition to opening up PS jobs to the rest of the country. Enable more remote work opportunities for uniform members too for positions where the physical location doesn't matter so much, so for someone who may have otherwise been posted to Ottawa can stay where they were posted before. Most uniform jobs won't be remote friendly, but there are some that are and could help keep those members geographically stable.

 

[Quirky]

5,000 workers, cafeteria, Starbucks, gym, work stations, lounges, shared kitchen spaces

CAF would build something like that, give it to CFHA and they’ll charge a single member $1500/month without rations.

I think all options should be explored for spouses of CAF members in order to promote their employment opportunities.

That only works if employment is available in the first place. Biggest thing is to let members stay at their base and don’t force promote&post. Let them decide between waiting for the next rank to open up locally or take something elsewhere. CAF is still addicted to the old policy of postings, spouses these days have professional careers and often times the education and salary is higher than the CAF member. Resetting seniority of one spouse every 3-5 years because postings, doesn’t fly with the missing middle anymore.

 

[HavokFour]

And this is via small underground factories and basements, in a country under constant bombardment. Now imagine how many a proper production line could pump out for the CAF and export to allies. I hope Bill Blair is paying attention.

https://bsky.app/profile/noelreports.com%2Fpost%2F3lljjkrhmmc2r

 

[Colin Parkinson]

As opposed to the exemplary way the government maintained the H Blocks and PMQs?

Any system is subject to abuse.

My concern with those camps is what is their shelf-life? For that matter what is the shelf-life of any structure? Any building, like any ship, needs regular refreshing and, ultimately, regular replacing. Nothing stands still.

Portable camps and mobile homes buy you a decade or so, but can be used to solve immediate problems while you do a good job on the more permanent structures. Now for mobile homes, you could just replace them on a decade long basis, particularly on bases which might change size in the near future.

 

[lenaitch]

Stick-built, modular, engineered, towed in on wheels, etc. doesn't matter if it isn't a family friendly place to live. The missus and kids won't be thrilled stuck in something resembling a base camp.

you could just replace them on a decade long basis,

Did you type that with a straight face?

spouses these days have professional careers

Agreed. In years gone by, spousal employment, where it existed, was often a 'job' vs a profession.

 

[Underway]

A simple perusing of social media give you scores of examples of leaders, both commissioned and non, who have no business leading a one man band let alone Canadians who have vowed to makes the ultimate sacrifice.

But I can tell you every kid leaving is saying: Leadership, Pay and Benefits

It's very rare for a non-tech trade to get better pay or benifits in a civilian position right now, than the equivalent in the CAF in a Jr position. I can see with with my wifes jobs. People are shocked when I tell them what our benifits and pay packages look like. Most of them are older however and understand what a "indexed to inflation pension" would look like. Managers (PO2 and above) do have a better chance when they leave though as they have a lot of skills to market.

Grass isn't always greener. I can say that I see a lot of retreds coming into the recruiting centre who found that out the hard way.

The leadership thing is true though. People don't leave jobs, they leave bosses. And if you hang around in the CAF long enough you're going to get a shitty boss. Just like most regular jobs. Difference is if you find a job with a great boss you can just keep doing that job until circumstances change, not roll the dice every three years. I will say this. The CAF has developed better leaders more recently in my 24 years. Less abuse of power, less random punishment, less tempers for no reason etc... Some of them are on this very site! Keep pushing, get better.

 

[childs56]

Portable camps and mobile homes buy you a decade or so, but can be used to solve immediate problems while you do a good job on the more permanent structures. Now for mobile homes, you could just replace them on a decade long basis, particularly on bases which might change size in the near future.

some of those camps are pretty nice and would be good as replacement for the single quarters.
Pre fab homes have come along ways. Offer a good alternative to the way they could build off site and move homes onto bases to get things rolling.
I agree you could buy a few years.
Heck they could build a camp and pr fab homes and set them up in Latvia.

 

[CBH99]

This has to be the dumbest article I've come across in ages...Just thought I'd post it here because I couldn't find the "WTF" thread

Should Canada explore developing a nuclear weapons program?

Amid a changing global security landscape and ongoing sovereignty taunts from U.S. President Donald Trump, one military expert says Canada may need to reconsider its position on nuclear weapons.

www.bnnbloomberg.ca

 

[Underway]

This has to be the dumbest article I've come across in ages...Just thought I'd post it here because I couldn't find the "WTF" thread

Should Canada explore developing a nuclear weapons program?

Amid a changing global security landscape and ongoing sovereignty taunts from U.S. President Donald Trump, one military expert says Canada may need to reconsider its position on nuclear weapons.

www.bnnbloomberg.ca

I think having a nuclear through line in our equipment is a good idea. Aircraft, submarines and ordinance that could take a nuclear payload.

If our allies are unreliable and won't defend us from nuclear attack our own rapidly created nuclear deterrent positioned into our own delivery systems wouldn't be the worst idea.

We could probably have basic low yield nuclear warhead in a week to a month in a crash build program. But we wouldn't have any delivery systems.

So if you have say sub launched missiles that could swap out their conventional payload with a nuke one or a cruise missile that could do the same...

But this is "saying the quite part loud". Get those through line systems for their other obviously good and necessary capabilities. Just don't talk about "break glass in case of appocalypse" plan.

 

[RangerRay]

This has to be the dumbest article I've come across in ages...Just thought I'd post it here because I couldn't find the "WTF" thread

Should Canada explore developing a nuclear weapons program?

Amid a changing global security landscape and ongoing sovereignty taunts from U.S. President Donald Trump, one military expert says Canada may need to reconsider its position on nuclear weapons.

www.bnnbloomberg.ca

Thanks to Trump, we are going to see nuclear proliferation like we have never seen.

 

[Halifax Tar]

It's very rare for a non-tech trade to get better pay or benifits in a civilian position right now, than the equivalent in the CAF in a Jr position. I can see with with my wifes jobs. People are shocked when I tell them what our benifits and pay packages look like. Most of them are older however and understand what a "indexed to inflation pension" would look like. Managers (PO2 and above) do have a better chance when they leave though as they have a lot of skills to market.

Why should our pay levels be tied to what a civilian gets ? More is expected of us. I believe its call the military factor. We aren't just trades people, we are also sailors, soldiers and aviators.

Grass isn't always greener. I can say that I see a lot of retreds coming into the recruiting centre who found that out the hard way.

With respect I am calling BS or at least they are not coming to the fleet. In the last 6 years I have met 1 and he promptly got back out when his obligatory time was up for his resigning bonus.

 

[Remius]

I think having a nuclear through line in our equipment is a good idea. Aircraft, submarines and ordinance that could take a nuclear payload.

If our allies are unreliable and won't defend us from nuclear attack our own rapidly created nuclear deterrent positioned into our own delivery systems wouldn't be the worst idea.

We could probably have basic low yield nuclear warhead in a week to a month in a crash build program. But we wouldn't have any delivery systems.

So if you have say sub launched missiles that could swap out their conventional payload with a nuke one or a cruise missile that could do the same...

But this is "saying the quite part loud". Get those through line systems for their other obviously good and necessary capabilities. Just don't talk about "break glass in case of appocalypse" plan.

Start by pulling out of any anti nuclear proliferation treaty. That would be the first warning before any gradual acquiring.

 

[Remius]

Why should our pay levels be tied to what a civilian gets ?

This may be before your time but when it wasn’t pay was below poverty lines. Once they linked it to PS pay went up.

More is expected of us. I believe its call the military factor. We aren't just trades people, we are also sailors, soldiers and aviators.

Certainly look at the mil factor and maybe change that up. But pay? The CAF is well remunerated.

With respect I am calling BS or at least they are not coming to the fleet. In the last 6 years I have met 1 and he promptly got back out when his obligatory time was up for his resigning bonus.

I see a lot of regs getting out and looking for class b contracts. I’ve turned away a few that were just looking for a holding unit to get a class b somewhere and never show up.

I’ve taken in a few as well that contribute but want more stable employment and control over their own career.

 

[GR66]

Start by pulling out of any anti nuclear proliferation treaty. That would be the first warning before any gradual acquiring.

So who exactly are we going to nuke? The only countries that have the military capacity to project any significant force against Canada are all nuclear powers. How large (and expensive) a nuclear force do you need to deter Russia or China? Are cruise missiles enough? Would we need ICBMs for our deterrent to be credible (cruise missiles are much easier to shoot down than ballistic missiles).

Regardless of the state of our relationship with the US they are not going to let any other country strategically threaten the US by taking Canada so are we talking about nuking the USA? So if Trump were to actually order the US military to annex Canada by force are we going to threaten to launch nuclear weapons against US cities? Nuclear weapons are only a deterrent if the other side is convinced you'll use them. And shouldn't we assume that the US would retaliate? Would killing potentially millions of American civilians and turning all our major cities into glowing parking lots be a reasonable price to pay to prevent annexation?

That will be a hard pass from me on Canada getting nuclear weapons.

 

[Remius]

So who exactly are we going to nuke? The only countries that have the military capacity to project any significant force against Canada are all nuclear powers. How large (and expensive) a nuclear force do you need to deter Russia or China? Are cruise missiles enough? Would we need ICBMs for our deterrent to be credible (cruise missiles are much easier to shoot down than ballistic missiles).

Regardless of the state of our relationship with the US they are not going to let any other country strategically threaten the US by taking Canada so are we talking about nuking the USA? So if Trump were to actually order the US military to annex Canada by force are we going to threaten to launch nuclear weapons against US cities? Nuclear weapons are only a deterrent if the other side is convinced you'll use them. And shouldn't we assume that the US would retaliate? Would killing potentially millions of American civilians and turning all our major cities into glowing parking lots be a reasonable price to pay to prevent annexation?

That will be a hard pass from me on Canada getting nuclear weapons.

It’s deterrence. And all I suggest is to withdraw from a treaty that keeps us from getting them.

It isn’t for deterring the US. And it signals that we are going to look out for ourselves.

 

[Halifax Tar]

This may be before your time but when it wasn’t pay was below poverty lines. Once they linked it to PS pay went up.

I was just getting in. I remember a huge pay raise in the late 90s.

Certainly look at the mil factor and maybe change that up. But pay? The CAF is well remunerated.

That's your opinion, I obviously disagree; and I think our hemorrhaging of people may agree with me.

Question, were you ever RegF ?

I see a lot of regs getting out and looking for class b contracts. I’ve turned away a few that were just looking for a holding unit to get a class b somewhere and never show up.

I’ve taken in a few as well that contribute but want more stable employment and control over their own career.

That's not what @Underway is talking about. They are referencing people who release of the RegF under the pretense of greener pastures and don't find them, only to return to a recruiting centre.

 

[Halifax Tar]

It’s deterrence. And all I suggest is to withdraw from a treaty that keeps us from getting them.

It isn’t for deterring the US. And it signals that we are going to look out for ourselves.

I agree with you. I think its time for us to act like a fully independent nation. And if we want nukes we should have them.

 

[Remius]

I was just getting in. I remember a huge pay raise in the late 90s.



That's your opinion, I obviously disagree; and I think our hemorrhaging of people may agree with me.

Delinking from PS pay rates may cause more damage than good. So you are saying increase pay and mil factor? You dreaming if you think cpls should be making 6 figures.

Question, were you ever RegF ?

Nope. Was class B for 15 years making 15% less than my reg force counterparts who in some cases were in Ottawa for twenty years.

I made it work and the money was good. Experiences will vary though.

That's not what @Underway is talking about. They are referencing people who release of the RegF under the pretense of greener pastures and don't find them, only to return to a recruiting centre.

Or go straight to a prl or off the supp reserve. A lot of those guys gave the civy side a try first. Either way they still came back to the CAF and for less pay.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I agree with you. I think its time for us to act like a fully independent nation. And if we want peacekeeping nukes we should have them.

There, Canadianized that for you

 

[Quirky]

You dreaming if you think cpls should be making 6 figures.

20+ year spec-pay Cpls who are SMEs in their trade, yes they absolutely should.