Liberal Minority Government 2025 - ???

[Halifax Tar]

Interesting thought on buying them used - maybe the powers that be that read/contribute to this site can pass that idea back to the Government. Add buying a pair of used/in good shape, US AOR's to the trade agreement package, along with the announcing the HIMARS and F35's. That covers off the trifecta - Air Force, Army and Navy.

I all for buying more AORs. But I think what youre really talking about is more amphibs or ro-ros.

AORs can do material movement, but not at the same volume as the above other classes.

Have a look at the USNS Fleet:

File:MSC USNavyShips-2022-2.pdf - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Perhaps this class would interest you:

USNS Supply - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Rifleman62]

Regardless of anybody's feelings about Trump and his statements, we shouldn't start making poor kit choices just because the orange man hurt our feelings.

Canada has a magnificent track record of making poor kit choices for our military, let alone the above statement.

Best Bet IMHO.

Europe's Defense Crisis: Why Everyone's Buying South Korean Weapons？- 20 Jul 25​

 

[CBH99]

To all of you hoping we turn to South Korea for our kit I 100% agree

 

[Navy_Pete]

But the US is still very much the top dawg in any coalition military operations - even if that operation takes place in eastern Europe. If real war ever kicked off we would see more American troops & vehicles than we would anybody else (most likely) and using the same or similar kit as them also makes a lot of sense.


Regardless of anybody's feelings about Trump and his statements, we can't start making poor kit choices just because the orange man hurt our feelings.

To a large extent interoperability is a lot less dependent on specific kit, as some of the comms interfaces etc have been standardized, and performance wise lots of very good kit from other countries that doesn't come with the really restrictive ITAR and IP limits that a lot of US stuff does.

May be element specific, but USN has a very different manning/crewing philosophy then we do, and I don't think we can support some of the crewing intensive requirements you get from things like the AEGIS system with our significantly smaller size.

Better is relative as well; more advanced and complicated equipment has a much higher learning/proficiency curve, so for suddenly surging that's a big problem. I think there are a few countries with small core militaries that have a lot of conscripts may have equipment that is much better matched to our relatively small standing force.

 

[CBH99]

To a large extent interoperability is a lot less dependent on specific kit, as some of the comms interfaces etc have been standardized, and performance wise lots of very good kit from other countries that doesn't come with the really restrictive ITAR and IP limits that a lot of US stuff does.

May be element specific, but USN has a very different manning/crewing philosophy then we do, and I don't think we can support some of the crewing intensive requirements you get from things like the AEGIS system with our significantly smaller size.

Better is relative as well; more advanced and complicated equipment has a much higher learning/proficiency curve, so for suddenly surging that's a big problem. I think there are a few countries with small core militaries that have a lot of conscripts may have equipment that is much better matched to our relatively small standing force.

All fair points.

And I especially like what you said about interoperatability - I feel like 'making sure we are interoperable with US forces' has been a fairly shallow yet effective argument that comes from the US military industrial complex...

If fighter jets from across NATO can coordinate and operate effectively during NATO air campaigns, pretty sure we can coordinate & operate effectively elsewhere also (for NORAD, for example)

We don't have to buy American planes in order to interoperate with American forces, despite what the noise says...

---

Sweden & Israel have always been fascinating case studies for me.

Both countries still use conscripts, yet both countries also use state of the art kit & both countries have their own small but highly capable military industrial complexes.

 

[MilEME09]

Algoma Steel requesting up to $600 million from feds

'Right now with this 50-per-cent tariff the future is very uncertain,' Michael Garcia said

www.sootoday.com

Well this isnt good, but 600 million is also a majority stake in the company. Equal to the majority of their current business. Might as well nationalize the company at that point.

 

[brihard]

Algoma Steel requesting up to $600 million from feds

'Right now with this 50-per-cent tariff the future is very uncertain,' Michael Garcia said

www.sootoday.com

Well this isnt good, but 600 million is also a majority stake in the company. Equal to the majority of their current business. Might as well nationalize the company at that point.

Odd that they’re the importer as well- that’s what’s kicking them in the teeth on this one. I wonder how they came about?

The U.S. doesn’t exactly have a bunch of rapidly expandable steel capacity, and industry still needs steel. They’re gonna have to eat the bulk of the tariff costs one way or another.

 

[daftandbarmy]

It might help if they have a special flag ...

Auditor general to study hiring, promotion of public servants with disabilities​

The federal auditor general is planning to study the recruitment, retention and promotion of people with disabilities in the federal public service.

Documents obtained by The Canadian Press through Access to Information indicate that the audit is expected to be tabled in the spring.

Claire Baudry, a spokesperson for the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, said in an email that while auditor general Karen Hogan expects to table the report in Parliament in 2026, the audit is in the planning phase and any comment on its scope or timelines now would be “premature.”

Hogan’s office sent a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Board Bill Matthews on March 7 notifying him of the upcoming study.

The most recent employment equity report for the public service says that since March 2020, the number of people with disabilities has increased steadily in the core public service — the federal government departments and agencies that fall under Treasury Board.

But that number remains below the rate of “workforce availability” — the metric used by the government to measure the share of the national workforce that is eligible for federal public service work.

Auditor general to study hiring, promotion of public servants with disabilities - National | Globalnews.ca

The auditor general plans to audit hiring, retention & promotion of people with disabilities in the federal public service, with a report due in 2026.

globalnews.ca

 

[PrairieFella]

On its face its a really weird policy to have but if you think of it, hiring people with disabilities preferentially is just good business for the government.

An able-bodied person and a disabled person have the exact same needs but the able-bodied has probably over twice the opportunities to find gainful employment. The disabled person can end up on the unemployment, long-term disability and live in poverty which brings along a plethora of health-care and social welfare considerations or they can be given that entry level job and save the gov a shit ton of money on all the other line items.

 

[mariomike]

Auditor general to study hiring, promotion of public servants with disabilities​

For interested readers.

List of Eligible Disabilities - Canadian Disability Advocates

canadiandisabilityadvocates.com

"AND MANY OTHERS…"

 

[MilEME09]

On its face its a really weird policy to have but if you think of it, hiring people with disabilities preferentially is just good business for the government.

An able-bodied person and a disabled person have the exact same needs but the able-bodied has probably over twice the opportunities to find gainful employment. The disabled person can end up on the unemployment, long-term disability and live in poverty which brings along a plethora of health-care and social welfare considerations or they can be given that entry level job and save the gov a shit ton of money on all the other line items.

I mean, gotta do something with infantry types after release......

#shotsfired

 

[PrairieFella]

I mean, gotta do something with infantry types after release......

#shotsfired

Hey! This infantry vet looks great for a 35 year old!

 

[CBH99]

Algoma Steel requesting up to $600 million from feds

'Right now with this 50-per-cent tariff the future is very uncertain,' Michael Garcia said

www.sootoday.com

Well this isnt good, but 600 million is also a majority stake in the company. Equal to the majority of their current business. Might as well nationalize the company at that point.

Same could he said for Bombardier. Or even TeleSat.

I obviously don't need to point out the flawed direction this whole thing is going, but...yikes

 

[CBH99]

Just incase anybody was starting to feel optimistic about our economic future now that we have a seasoned and savvy economist running the show...

Federal government posts $6.5 billion deficit in April, May

The federal government posted a $6.5 billion deficit in the first two months of the fiscal year.

www.ctvnews.ca

No biggie. Pennies really.

 

[MilEME09]

Just incase anybody was starting to feel optimistic about our economic future now that we have a seasoned and savvy economist running the show...

Federal government posts $6.5 billion deficit in April, May

The federal government posted a $6.5 billion deficit in the first two months of the fiscal year.

www.ctvnews.ca

No biggie. Pennies really.

I mean we knew this was coming from his election platform

 

[CBH99]

I mean we knew this was coming from his election platform

I'm genuinely not trying to sound cheeky here, but what part of his platform did this fall under?

 

[Furniture]

On its face its a really weird policy to have but if you think of it, hiring people with disabilities preferentially is just good business for the government.

An able-bodied person and a disabled person have the exact same needs but the able-bodied has probably over twice the opportunities to find gainful employment. The disabled person can end up on the unemployment, long-term disability and live in poverty which brings along a plethora of health-care and social welfare considerations or they can be given that entry level job and save the gov a shit ton of money on all the other line items.

Yeah.... That's a weird angle to approach this from.

Government, like all other employers, should be looking to hire the best for the job, not hiring the "well, we'd have to pay for them anyway" crowd.

Also, it's pretty disrespectful to people with disabilities to reduce them to being a government "burden"... Lots of people with lots of various disabilities are quite gainfully employed in the private sector.

 

[Eaglelord17]

Algoma Steel requesting up to $600 million from feds

'Right now with this 50-per-cent tariff the future is very uncertain,' Michael Garcia said

www.sootoday.com

Well this isnt good, but 600 million is also a majority stake in the company. Equal to the majority of their current business. Might as well nationalize the company at that point.

They are looking for a cheap loan. If you look in the article they were apparently offered a loan just not at the terms they want.

I don’t blame the government for some of the strings they want attached, they have learned from the auto manufacturers who took loans, declared ‘new auto company’ and washed away the debt in ‘old auto company’ without having to pay it back.

As a tax payer I expect some sort of collateral in case it doesn’t work out.

Algoma is also in a pretty good situation as I understand it debt wise. When they had record profits a few years ago they paid off all their debt as I understand it. It likely is a question of how much debt they want to leverage and how cheap they can access it.

Odd that they’re the importer as well- that’s what’s kicking them in the teeth on this one. I wonder how they came about?

The U.S. doesn’t exactly have a bunch of rapidly expandable steel capacity, and industry still needs steel. They’re gonna have to eat the bulk of the tariff costs one way or another.

The worst part about the steel industry is that it isn’t just about the tons of steel produced it is the type. Algoma for example makes plate and strip. Other places will make other specialized products (rail, structurals, rounds, etc.). Because of this they all get real good at making their few products very effectively and it results in small amount of competition in their specific area.

It also means that all the different plants fill specific area niches which when something like a 50% tariff comes in ruins the equilibrium we possess. It also makes it very difficult to pivot as Canada only needs so much of a certain product.

The sooner there is stability in the market again the better. Thats all in the hands of one man unfortunately.

 

[ArmyRick]

hiring people with disabilities preferentially is just good business for the government.

No

Government, like all other employers, should be looking to hire the best for the job, not hiring the "well, we'd have to pay for them anyway" crowd.

Yes

 

[mariomike]

For reference to the discussion,

Self-declare as a person with a disability - Canada.ca

www.canada.ca

If you have a visible or non-visible disability, you can self-declare when you apply for a federal public service job
Self-declaring provides access to job opportunities only open to persons with disabilities
We focus on your abilities, competencies and strengths when recruiting talent
We need persons with disabilities at the table when developing Government of Canada services, policies and programs, to help build a more >accessible and inclusive public service that reflects Canada’s diversity
We offer a workplace accessibility passport that allows you to move from one department to another with your accommodation measures
The Government of Canada offers good pay and benefits and great potential for career development