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Justin Trudeau hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

Justin Trudeau hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

Canada says it will look at increasing its defence spending and tacked on 10 more Russian names to an ever growing sanctions list.

By Tonda MacCharles
Ottawa Bureau
Mon., March 7, 2022

Riga, LATVIA—On the 13th day of the brutal Russian bid to claim Ukraine as its own, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is showing up at the Latvian battle group led by Canadian soldiers, waving the Maple Leaf and a vague hint at more money for the military.

Canada has been waving the NATO flag for nearly seven years in Latvia as a bulwark against Russia’s further incursions in Eastern Europe.

Canada stepped up to lead one of NATO’s four battle groups in 2015 — part of the defensive alliance’s display of strength and solidarity with weaker member states after Russia invaded Ukraine and seized the Crimean peninsula in 2014. Trudeau arrived in the Latvian capital late Monday after meetings in the U.K. with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Earlier Monday, faced with a seemingly unstoppable war in Ukraine, Trudeau said he will look at increasing Canada’s defence spending. Given world events, he said there are “certainly reflections to have.”

And Canada tacked on 10 more Russian names to an ever-growing sanctions list.

The latest round of sanctions includes names Trudeau said were identified by jailed Russian opposition leader and Putin nemesis Alexei Navalny.

However, on a day when Trudeau cited the new sanctions, and Johnson touted new measures meant to expose Russian property owners in his country, Rutte admitted sanctions are not working.

Yet they all called for more concerted international efforts over the long haul, including more economic measures and more humanitarian aid, with Johnson and Rutte divided over how quickly countries need to get off Russian oil and gas.

The 10 latest names on Canada’s target list do not include Roman Abramovich — a Russian billionaire Navalny has been flagging to Canada since at least 2017. Canada appears to have sanctioned about 20 of the 35 names on Navalny’s list.

The Conservative opposition says the Liberal government is not yet exerting maximum pressure on Putin, and should do more to bolster Canadian Forces, including by finally approving the purchase of fighter jets.

Foreign affairs critic Michael Chong said in an interview that Ottawa must still sanction “additional oligarchs close to President Putin who have significant assets in Canada.”

Abramovich owns more than a quarter of the public shares in steelmaking giant Evraz, which has operations in Alberta and Saskatchewan and has supplied most of the steel for the government-owned Trans Mountain pipeline project.

Evraz’s board of directors also includes two more Russians the U.S. government identified as “oligarchs” in 2019 — Aleksandr Abramov and Aleksandr Frolov — and its Canadian operations have received significant support from the federal government.

That includes at least $27 million in emergency wage subsidies during the pandemic, as well as $7 million through a fund meant to help heavy-polluters reduce emissions that cause climate change, according to the company’s most recent annual report.

In addition to upping defence spending, the Conservatives want NORAD’s early warning system upgraded, naval shipbuilding ramped up and Arctic security bolstered.

In London, Johnson sat down with Trudeau and Rutte at the Northolt airbase. Their morning meetings had a rushed feel, with Johnson starting to usher press out before Trudeau spoke. His office said later that the British PM couldn’t squeeze the full meeting in at 10 Downing Street because Johnson’s “diary” was so busy that day. The three leaders held an afternoon news conference at 10 Downing.

But before that Trudeau met with the Queen, saying she was “insightful” and they had a “useful, for me anyway, conversation about global affairs.”

Trudeau meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Tuesday in Latvia.

The prime minister will also meet with three Baltic leaders, the prime ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, in the Latvian capital of Riga.

The Liberals announced they would increase the 500 Canadian Forces in Latvia by another 460 troops. The Canadians are leading a multinational battle group, one of four that are part of NATO’s deployments in the region.

Another 3,400 Canadians could be deployed to the region in the months to come, on standby for NATO orders.

But Canada’s shipments of lethal aid to Ukraine were slow to come in the view of the Conservatives, and the Ukrainian Canadian community.

And suddenly Western allies are eyeing each other’s defence commitments.

At the Downing Street news conference, Rutte noted the Netherlands will increase its defence budget to close to two per cent of GDP. Germany has led the G7, and doubled its defence budget in the face of Putin’s invasion and threats. Johnson said the U.K. defence spending is about 2.4 per cent and declined to comment on Canada’s defence spending which is 1.4 per cent of GDP.

But Johnson didn’t hold back.

“What we can’t do, post the invasion of Ukraine is assume that we go back to a kind of status quo ante, a kind of new normalization in the way that we did after the … seizure of Crimea and the Donbas area,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to recognize that things have changed and that we need a new focus on security and I think that that is kind of increasingly understood by everybody.”

Trudeau stood by his British and Dutch counterparts and pledged Canada would do more.

He defended his government’s record, saying Ottawa is gradually increasing spending over the next decade by 70 per cent. Then Trudeau admitted more might be necessary.

“We also recognize that context is changing rapidly around the world and we need to make sure that women and men have certainty and our forces have all the equipment necessary to be able to stand strongly as we always have. As members of NATO. We will continue to look at what more we can do.”

The three leaders — Johnson, a conservative and Trudeau and Rutte, progressive liberals — in a joint statement said they “will continue to impose severe costs on Russia.”

Arriving for the news conference from Windsor Castle, Trudeau had to detour to enter Downing Street as loud so-called Freedom Convoy protesters bellowed from outside the gate. They carried signs marked “Tuck Frudeau” and “Free Tamara” (Lich).

Protester Jeff Wyatt who said he has no Canadian ties told the Star he came to stand up for Lich and others who were leading a “peaceful protest” worldwide against government “lies” about COVID-19 and what he called Trudeau’s “tyranny.”

Elsewhere in London, outside the Russian embassy, other protesters and passersby reflected on what they said was real tyranny — the Russian attack on Ukraine. “I think we should be as tough as possible to get this stopped, as tough as possible,” said protester Clive Martinez.
 
“…22 year-old CF-104 Starfighter jets are rolled out on their way to the weekly bombing exercise, the old fleet is racked with maintenance problems…”

41-year old CF-18: “There, there, kiddo…ya done good! Take a well-earned rest now…” 😉
55-year old CH-124 chimes in from the rocking chair - 'Eh, did you say something, I thought I heard someone speaking....'
 
Find me a weapon that does what the .50 does better. We tried with the C16 GMG, that's a dud so they brought the 50 back.
It was a toss up between the C6 SF and the .50 HMG for me. I thoroughly enjoyed firing and controlling the fire of both.

The sound of a well maintained, head spaced and timed .50 is absolutely awesome!!!
 
A 2% FLOOR......

2.5 to 3% Target.

The price of admission.


“Prior to the the invasion [of Ukraine] we were approximately spending 1.35 percent of our GDP on defense but this year we will reach 2 percent,” said Aastrup Jensen. “In a very short amount of time we have reached the floor, because we are fully agreeing that this should be the floor not the ceiling. If NATO and allies agree [at the Vilnius Summit] a higher target of 2.5 or 3 percent we have already stated that we will also reach that as soon as possible.”



Denmark considering military submarines after almost 20 year gap: Danish lawmaker

The Scandinavian nation divested of submarines in 2004 but lawmakers are actively considering whether to acquire them again.​

By TIM MARTINon June 12, 2023 at 2:31 PM


BELFAST — Denmark could be on the way to procuring new submarines as it looks to bolster maritime capabilities and deter Baltic Sea expeditions by Moscow.

The Scandinavian nation divested its fleet of submarines in 2004 but lawmakers are actively considering whether to acquire them again or rely on “close cooperation” with “friends” to deliver such capability, according to Michael Aastrup Jensen, chair of Denmark’s foreign policy committee.
He said during a Hudson Institute event today in Washington that the submarine discussions are happening “right now” as part of a wider political examination of future Danish defense requirements.

“Denmark is very strategic, meaning that all Russian Navy vessels have to sail through our waters if they come out from St. Petersburg or Kaliningrad and therefore we need to beef up our defense in depth, which is a completely new awakening for us,” said Aastrup Jensen.
In 2022, Copenhagen pledged investment of 40 billion Kroner ($58 million) for new naval ships to be built “within the coming years” and at the same time committed to developing a stronger “security of supply” with national maritime suppliers.

The latest submarine discussions coincide with the Royal Danish Navy close to announcing a replacement for ocean patrol vessels under the Thetis‐class frigate replacement program. A decision is expected imminently as part of Denmark’s most recent Defence Agreement — a document setting out a list of capabilities to be acquired over a ten year period.

The war in Ukraine has triggered a wide range of changes in Denmark’s defense posture, not least a June 2022 referendum ending the country’s European Union opt-out clause from security and military matters. Efforts to increase defense spending have been significant too.

“Prior to the the invasion [of Ukraine] we were approximately spending 1.35 percent of our GDP on defense but this year we will reach 2 percent,” said Aastrup Jensen. “In a very short amount of time we have reached the floor, because we are fully agreeing that this should be the floor not the ceiling. If NATO and allies agree [at the Vilnius Summit] a higher target of 2.5 or 3 percent we have already stated that we will also reach that as soon as possible.”

Copenhagen is also part of the European Leopard main battle tank coalition and has agreed to donate 19 Caesar artillery systems to Ukraine. More recently it has backed plans for F-16 fighter jets to be sent to Kyiv.

Aastrup Jensen said that surplus F-16s belonging to the Danish Air Force would be available to send to Ukraine once F-35A deliveries begin this fall, but he argued that it had taken far too long for the Biden administration to approve a decision allowing allies to train Ukrainian troops on the fourth generation jet.

“It is my intention and I think with broad support in parliament, that we can start up the training of F-16 teams, and thereafter a supply of F-16s to Ukraine,” added Aastrup Jensen. “Ukrainians have so much courage … but they need air power.”
 
It was always the floor, but prior to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine it wasn’t realy followed through with.

Canada better buckle up.
Well, there’s at least that $15B that Canada currently says is too hard for the thousands of newly-hired CRA public servants to recover from unqualified CERB recipients… 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
Well, there’s at least that $15B that Canada currently says is too hard for the thousands of newly-hired CRA public servants to recover from unqualified CERB recipients… 🤷🏻‍♂️

I have always been fascinated by hay - as in the amount of hay eaten by the horses that hauled the hay for the horses at the front to eat.
 
NATO/ Sekretarz generalny Stoltenberg: oczekuję, że podczas szczytu w Wilnie sojusznicy zobowiążą się do podwyższenia wydatków na obronę#PAPInformacje

Basically translates to be: 'The expectations are for allies to commit to an increase in defence spending at the Vilna Summit.'

Let's see how Trudeau and team manages to deflect and ignore this call yet again.
 
Israel says it has a European customer for their Merkava 3, to replace tanks donated to Ukraine. So some of our serving members might get a good close up look at these.
 
NATO/ Sekretarz generalny Stoltenberg: oczekuję, że podczas szczytu w Wilnie sojusznicy zobowiążą się do podwyższenia wydatków na obronę#PAPInformacje

Basically translates to be: 'The expectations are for allies to commit to an increase in defence spending at the Vilna Summit.'

Let's see how Trudeau and team manages to deflect and ignore this call yet again.
And cue Trudeau prepping for the NATO meeting in Vilna.

Canada to add 15 Leopard tanks, 130 troops to NATO battlegroup in Latvia​



12 month timeframe to ship over 15 tanks, associated maintenance vehicles and 130 people, unreal, pathetic.
 
A Mistral class amphibious assault ship can carry 40 Leclerc tanks, but they have transported M1 Abrams in the past.
 
It is pathetic. How long would it take to ship 15 tanks IF the CAF was properly staffed and equipped?

I'm guessing maybe a month.
For Afghanistan the request was made early in September 2006. The government approved the deployment of a 15 tank squadron and an armoured engineer troop on the 15th of September. The first tank arrived in theatre on the 3rd of October. The tanks were originally ready to forward deploy in November but the Dutch commander of ISAF RC(S) held that up until Lavoie, coming back from HTLA, convinced him that a 105mm round from a tank was a kinder and gentler way of dealing with strongpoints than a 155mm HE or a 500 lb bomb. With ISAF approval granted, the tanks forward deployed on 2 Dec 2006.

🍻
 
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I was going to post this in the Ukraine war thread as the YouTube video that linked it stated this is what the Ukraine's will be facing when they start their Offensive.

But IMHO, thought the video may be more appropriate here.

Think the CAF could do this? Dream on.

We literally validate doing this all the time
 
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