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Government hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

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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....
 
If it came to conflict, the NAVRes to my understanding i in a better position compared to the ARes. I don't know how many ships we could crew out but I imagine a few
Well at least LAV’s don’t sink (on land). Based on some of the reports the Frigates might not make an Atlantic crossing regardless who is crewing them.
 
If we were at war and money suddenly wasn't an issue I am sure we would find the spare parts for the fleet, but working ships are useless without munitions
This is the crux of it. Money wouldn't be an issue, but time sure as fuck would be.

It takes time to refit/build a fleet of anything. It takes time to train crews on those platforms (CA, RCAF, or RCN). It takes time to build supply lines, stockpile munitions, have that defence in depth that's needed for sustained operations that would be occuring on both oceans.

I think of the fictional quote from Kruschev in "Enemy at the Gates" :

"Vodka is a luxury we have. Caviar is a luxury we have. Time is not."
 
This is the crux of it. Money wouldn't be an issue, but time sure as fuck would be.

It takes time to refit/build a fleet of anything. It takes time to train crews on those platforms (CA, RCAF, or RCN). It takes time to build supply lines, stockpile munitions, have that defence in depth that's needed for sustained operations that would be occuring on both oceans.

I think of the fictional quote from Kruschev in "Enemy at the Gates" :

"Vodka is a luxury we have. Caviar is a luxury we have. Time is not."
not to mention we would be in the security situation of russian subs just popping up and tossing a cruise missile or two into Halifax shipyard, Seaspan, or Davie. Expanding our shipbuilding on the great lakes for anti-submarine and coastal defense ships would be a security advantage.
 
"we must do more" just means they see the writing on the wall and are going to leave it for the next government.
I have never been a fan of Bill Blair when he was Toronto Police Chief and Minister of Border Security blah, blah, blah. But it seems to me that he has been more outspoken in his latest posting than he’s ever been. Is he simply leaving things for the next government? Somehow I think he really is trying to fix things but is butting heads with Justin and The System.
 
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I have never been a fan of Bill Blair when he was Toronto Police Chief and Minister of Border Security blah, blah, blah. But it seems to me that he has been more outspoken in his latest posting than he’s ever been. Is he simply leaving things for the next government? Somehow I think he really is trying to fix things but is butting heads with Justin and The System.
One solution an officer I know suggested was to put the GST back to 7%. Use the increase to fund defense.
 
I have never been a fan of Bill Blair when he was Toronto Police Chief and Minister of Border Security blah, blah, blah. But it seems to me that he has been more outspoken in his latest posting than he’s ever been. Is he simply leaving things for the next government? Somehow I think he really is trying to fix things but is butting heads with Justin and The System.
I suspect he’s been informed just how bad the coal face is currently and is trying to sound the alarm. The question will be if JT cares enough.
 
One solution an officer I know suggested was to put the GST back to 7%. Use the increase to fund defense.
Or just stop paying consultants billions of dollars, stop infringing on provincial competence, stop funding ideological indoctrination in the government, etc.

There's plenty of taxpayer money to go around already, no need to steal more. Just stop wasting it.
 
Or just stop paying consultants billions of dollars, stop infringing on provincial competence, stop funding ideological indoctrination in the government, etc.

There's plenty of taxpayer money to go around already, no need to steal more. Just stop wasting it.

Consultants be like... ;)

Best Wishes Good Luck GIF by giphystudios2021
 
I suspect he’s been informed just how bad the coal face is currently and is trying to sound the alarm. The question will be if JT cares enough.
I think a lot of people are shocked when they see the actual state of things. It’s hard to visit a base and not see trucks falling apart, dilapidated buildings, and just the general sense of disrepair.
 
Focusing on positives is pretty hard when your on the coal face. I think that’s lost on people.
There is such a thing as toxic positivity.

When you gloss over the massive problem by pointing out the multitude of microscopic wins, you're avoiding the problem by saying "Yes, but look at how good this one minute little thing is! Isn’t that great?"

No "positive thinking" exercise will paper over the very real and critical problems facing the CAF.
 
There is such a thing as toxic positivity.

When you gloss over the massive problem by pointing out the multitude of microscopic wins, you're avoiding the problem by saying "Yes, but look at how good this one minute little thing is! Isn’t that great?"

No "positive thinking" exercise will paper over the very real and critical problems facing the CAF.
If a senior leader at my Company talked like that BGen did given the current state of the CAF....they'd be shown the door.
 
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