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Forces need more money: Liberal MPs
Social spending seen trumping military; general warns of ‘whack-a-mole‘ conundrum
Sheldon Alberts, Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief
National Post
Monday, September 23, 2002
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OTTAWA - Two high-ranking Liberal MPs fear the Chrétien government will sacrifice Canada‘s military to fund a social spending agenda.
Canada risks being marginalized by its NATO allies as the deterioration of the Canadian Forces becomes a national embarrassment, says David Pratt, who chaired the House of Commons national security and defence committee until Parliament was prorogued last week.
"If the rest of the NATO alliance took the same attitude that Canada does in terms of defence funding, NATO would collapse," said Mr. Pratt, who represents Nepean-Carleton. "They just wouldn‘t have the capabilities to be able to do anything very significant."
David Price, the committee‘s vice-chairman, said the concern about military funding has reached new levels in the Liberal caucus. A group of MPs challenged the Prime Minister to increase military spending during a Liberal caucus retreat last month in Saguenay, Que.
"It is frustrating because it is one of the few times we have had, in a long time, where the Canadian public is really behind this,‘‘ said Mr. Price, who represents Quebec‘s Compton-Stanstead. ‘‘Normally governments react with public opinion. This time they don‘t seem to be doing it."
Canada ranks second-last of 19 NATO countries in defence spending based on gross domestic product. The government spends $12-billion a year on the military. In a report last spring, the Commons defence committee recommended raising defence spending from 1.1% of gross domestic product to 1.6% over the next three years.
Canada has the world‘s 34th-largest population, the 56th-largest regular armed forces and the 77th-largest reserve force.
The two MPs worry the funding requirements of the military will be sacrificed to increase social spending as Mr. Chrétien prepares to leave office in early 2004.
Concerns about military funding have also reached the highest levels at the Department of National Defence.
Lieutenant-General George Macdonald, the Vice-Chief of Defence staff, last week told a group of defence industry executives that the funding shortfall has never been worse, citing new demands to contribute to the war on terrorism. "I refer to this as kind of a whack-a-mole game where you have got certain priorities. One pops up, and you put some resources to it. And then another one pops up and you put some resources to that. But you never really get your fingers on the problem," he said.
"You are continuing to fight the daily battles. I have to say that, this fiscal year, in most of our experience, is becoming the most difficult to manage."
The Canadian Forces are having difficulty finding money to pay for existing domestic and foreign responsibilities, Lt.-Gen. Macdonald said.
"That is the real issue we are facing -- can we maintain the capabilities that we have to the resources, and how do we get the better balance that we need?" he asked.
Despite a massive recruiting campaign, the Canadian Forces are short 2,000 trained personnel, he said.
Mr. Chrétien and John Manley, the Minister of Finance, have downplayed the possibility of a massive infusion of military spending, despite persistent warnings of a crisis.
The most recent criticisms over Canada‘s defence spending have come from Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, and the Council for Canadian Security in the 21st Century, a group of leading businesspeople, military analysts and former soldiers.
John McCallum, the Minister of Defence, has said little about the military‘s funding needs as he awaits the results of a Defence policy update expected early next month.
Mr. McCallum‘s background as an economist had raised concerns among pro-military Liberal MPs that defence spending might be cut further. But Mr. Price said he believes Messrs. McCallum and Manley are lobbying Mr. Chrétien privately for increased funding.
"I was a bit concerned, with Mr. McCallum being an economist, that he would be coming in to start hacking and strictly looking at dollars. He isn‘t doing that. I think he is really taking input from everybody," Mr. Price said.
"And I think Manley is more receptive than the Prime Minister, but when it comes down to it [Mr. Chrétien] will still have the final word."
Mr. Manley this month said Ottawa does not have the $2-billion a year most experts say is needed to begin rebuilding the military into a modern fighting force. Mr. Manley also said the public‘s appetite for increased defence spending has subsided in the year since the Sept. 11 attacks and Canadians are now more interested in seeing Ottawa increase funding for social programs.
"The amount that has been identified in terms of need -- $1.5-billion or $2-billion -- is probably not likely to happen in terms of what the government may come up with. Who knows if they will be able to come up with even $1-billion," Mr. Pratt said.
Mr. Chrétien is expected to use the upcoming Throne Speech, and next winter‘s budget, to launch an ambitious social agenda prior to his retirement. It is widely expected he will be under pressure to increase health care spending following the release next month of a report into the state of medicare by former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow.
"That makes it doubly difficult to get any resources [for defence] out of the centre," Mr. Pratt said.
"We don‘t know what Romanow is going to say, but we do know that we have got a serious problem with our military right now. It needs attention and the problem is only going to get significantly worse if it is not dealt with pretty soon."
Last week, the Council for Canadian Security in the 21st Century accused the Chrétien government of being derelict in its duty to protect Canadians and warned the Forces are on the brink of collapse.
As a consequence, the group said, Canada is at risk of becoming unable to defend its territory and ceding sovereignty to the United States as the Pentagon prepares to launch a continental defence program next month.
salberts@nationalpost.com
© Copyright 2002 National Post
Forces need more money: Liberal MPs
Social spending seen trumping military; general warns of ‘whack-a-mole‘ conundrum
Sheldon Alberts, Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief
National Post
Monday, September 23, 2002
ADVERTISEMENT
OTTAWA - Two high-ranking Liberal MPs fear the Chrétien government will sacrifice Canada‘s military to fund a social spending agenda.
Canada risks being marginalized by its NATO allies as the deterioration of the Canadian Forces becomes a national embarrassment, says David Pratt, who chaired the House of Commons national security and defence committee until Parliament was prorogued last week.
"If the rest of the NATO alliance took the same attitude that Canada does in terms of defence funding, NATO would collapse," said Mr. Pratt, who represents Nepean-Carleton. "They just wouldn‘t have the capabilities to be able to do anything very significant."
David Price, the committee‘s vice-chairman, said the concern about military funding has reached new levels in the Liberal caucus. A group of MPs challenged the Prime Minister to increase military spending during a Liberal caucus retreat last month in Saguenay, Que.
"It is frustrating because it is one of the few times we have had, in a long time, where the Canadian public is really behind this,‘‘ said Mr. Price, who represents Quebec‘s Compton-Stanstead. ‘‘Normally governments react with public opinion. This time they don‘t seem to be doing it."
Canada ranks second-last of 19 NATO countries in defence spending based on gross domestic product. The government spends $12-billion a year on the military. In a report last spring, the Commons defence committee recommended raising defence spending from 1.1% of gross domestic product to 1.6% over the next three years.
Canada has the world‘s 34th-largest population, the 56th-largest regular armed forces and the 77th-largest reserve force.
The two MPs worry the funding requirements of the military will be sacrificed to increase social spending as Mr. Chrétien prepares to leave office in early 2004.
Concerns about military funding have also reached the highest levels at the Department of National Defence.
Lieutenant-General George Macdonald, the Vice-Chief of Defence staff, last week told a group of defence industry executives that the funding shortfall has never been worse, citing new demands to contribute to the war on terrorism. "I refer to this as kind of a whack-a-mole game where you have got certain priorities. One pops up, and you put some resources to it. And then another one pops up and you put some resources to that. But you never really get your fingers on the problem," he said.
"You are continuing to fight the daily battles. I have to say that, this fiscal year, in most of our experience, is becoming the most difficult to manage."
The Canadian Forces are having difficulty finding money to pay for existing domestic and foreign responsibilities, Lt.-Gen. Macdonald said.
"That is the real issue we are facing -- can we maintain the capabilities that we have to the resources, and how do we get the better balance that we need?" he asked.
Despite a massive recruiting campaign, the Canadian Forces are short 2,000 trained personnel, he said.
Mr. Chrétien and John Manley, the Minister of Finance, have downplayed the possibility of a massive infusion of military spending, despite persistent warnings of a crisis.
The most recent criticisms over Canada‘s defence spending have come from Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, and the Council for Canadian Security in the 21st Century, a group of leading businesspeople, military analysts and former soldiers.
John McCallum, the Minister of Defence, has said little about the military‘s funding needs as he awaits the results of a Defence policy update expected early next month.
Mr. McCallum‘s background as an economist had raised concerns among pro-military Liberal MPs that defence spending might be cut further. But Mr. Price said he believes Messrs. McCallum and Manley are lobbying Mr. Chrétien privately for increased funding.
"I was a bit concerned, with Mr. McCallum being an economist, that he would be coming in to start hacking and strictly looking at dollars. He isn‘t doing that. I think he is really taking input from everybody," Mr. Price said.
"And I think Manley is more receptive than the Prime Minister, but when it comes down to it [Mr. Chrétien] will still have the final word."
Mr. Manley this month said Ottawa does not have the $2-billion a year most experts say is needed to begin rebuilding the military into a modern fighting force. Mr. Manley also said the public‘s appetite for increased defence spending has subsided in the year since the Sept. 11 attacks and Canadians are now more interested in seeing Ottawa increase funding for social programs.
"The amount that has been identified in terms of need -- $1.5-billion or $2-billion -- is probably not likely to happen in terms of what the government may come up with. Who knows if they will be able to come up with even $1-billion," Mr. Pratt said.
Mr. Chrétien is expected to use the upcoming Throne Speech, and next winter‘s budget, to launch an ambitious social agenda prior to his retirement. It is widely expected he will be under pressure to increase health care spending following the release next month of a report into the state of medicare by former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow.
"That makes it doubly difficult to get any resources [for defence] out of the centre," Mr. Pratt said.
"We don‘t know what Romanow is going to say, but we do know that we have got a serious problem with our military right now. It needs attention and the problem is only going to get significantly worse if it is not dealt with pretty soon."
Last week, the Council for Canadian Security in the 21st Century accused the Chrétien government of being derelict in its duty to protect Canadians and warned the Forces are on the brink of collapse.
As a consequence, the group said, Canada is at risk of becoming unable to defend its territory and ceding sovereignty to the United States as the Pentagon prepares to launch a continental defence program next month.
salberts@nationalpost.com
© Copyright 2002 National Post
