Putting the Coast Guard under MND does not mean necessarily putting Harpoons on Coast Guard ships.
It may, it in fact, mean very little change to how the operate, day to day.
But, even if the Government decides to fully militarize the Coast Guard, that ain’t a Union call.
Managers have the right to manage. If employees don’t like it, they can find other jobs.
If I understand correctly CSE is also under the MND and I have not heard of them actively engaged overseas. They appear to do their bit for the 5 Eyes from within Canada.
The CCG currently operates 6 ancient offshore patrol vessels and 8 of 9 Hero class midshore patrol vessels. Those are all involved in enforcement activities, distinct from the navaids and research groups. That group could cross over into armed patrols, it would seem to me, with out a lot of angst. And as I previously noted, things like securing infrastructure, cables and pipelines, could be a non-combatant defence role well within the skill set of the CCG.
How about EOD/Mine-clearance?
One aspect that I still have difficulty with in this whole discussion is that if Poland or Denmark gets steam-rollered during an invasion they contribute to the defence of their neighbours by absorbing the shock. And that effort is a whole of government/whole of society enterprise.
The Danes and Poles don't have to deploy their citizens, their police, their border guards, their soldiers, for them to effectively contribute to the defence of NATO and their neighbours. They just have to defend themselves and co-ordinate their efforts with their neighbours.
Canada has always been seen a being outside of European concerns. It was decidedly an American concern. But nobody saw a realistic risk of NATO's enemies on Canadian soil. And certainly nobody saw that NATO enemies on Canadian soil might be a threat to NATO.
But.
Now Europe, largely with the arrival of the Swedes and Finns, has discovered that they have an exposed Arctic flank and that Canada is the linch pin between the defence of continental Europe and continental America. Canada is now seen in similar light to a continental country. Its home defence plays a role in the security of northern European countries just by denying its soil, its waters, its skies to NATO's adversaries. It is now important that Canada has the ability to defend itself and co-ordinates with both its American neighbours and it European neighbours.
Prior to the current period, in my view, everybody, Canadians included, assumed that the only contribution Canada could make was sending troops to Europe and securing the North Atlantic. Now the requirement has stretched further north into arctic waters and includes the Arctic Archipelago.
Securing those lands, waters and skies doesn't rely solely on uniformed military personnel. But those others, those civilians, are also contributing to the defence of Canada, and, indirectly, the defence of Europe. Just as their counter-parts do in Europe.
....
One other thing our friends and allies rely on us to do, is not supply safe-haven to people intent on weakening and disrupting, if not destroying, our friends and allies. And that is decidedly a civilian task that contributes to international defence.
