Au contraire, mon western chum.
Each and every soldier and officer presently serving in the Army is a testimony to the loyalty they have, IN SPITE of the shabby, shameful treatment the Liberals have inflicted (definitely not a minority opinion, either):
Monday, March 4, 2002 The Halifax Herald Limited
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No time for a creampuff in Defence portfolio
THERE ARE three critical situations looming for the Canadian Armed Forces: a full review of the department‘s mandate and capabilities; discussions with the United States aimed at a joint homeland defence network; the increasing likelihood of American military action against Iraq, in which Canada would face strong pressure to participate.
In short, this is no time for a weak minister at the Department of National Defence.
But in Art Eggleton, as recent weeks have clearly revealed, that is exactly what Canada has.
The chain of events that led to the Defence minister‘s appearance last week before the Commons‘ privileges and House procedures committee, which is investigating whether he intentionally misled the Commons, was incredible enough.
Mr. Eggleton‘s contradictory statements about when he first learned Canada had taken prisoners in Afghanistan, and his failure to inform Prime Minister Jean Chretien of that fact, were sharply out of step with the intense public scrutiny the prisoner issue was already receiving, vis-a-vis the application of the Geneva Conventions.
But it was even more astonishing to see the very top DND brass refuse to throw Mr. Eggleton a life preserver at the Commons committee hearings last week. Instead, they hung him out to dry, refusing to play the political game of defending a minister by providing soft, equivocal answers.
If anything, Vice-Admiral Greg Maddison, deputy chief of defence staff, made Mr. Eggleton look stupid when he told the committee that it was not until the third briefing on the matter that the significance of the situation seemed to "click" with the minister.
Where on earth was Mr. Eggleton‘s mind, during his visit to Mexico, when he received the first briefing? On a pina colada, or perhaps a banana-boat ride?
And during the second briefing, when he and Adm. Maddison discussed the situation in light of a front-page newspaper photograph of Canadian troops transporting prisoners (they had been misidentified as American troops), apparently the minister did not think to call the prime minister with the news.
That led to incorrect information being presented in the Commons during question period, first by the prime minister and then Mr. Eggleton, which led to the committee hearings.
While it was unexpected, it is understandable why DND brass refused to go out on a limb for this minister, who has consistently failed to deliver for his department. Despite the repeated criticism of the funding shortage at DND, as compared to its mandate and operational roles, Mr. Eggleton has had no clout in securing the needed additional funds for the Forces.
The ongoing delays over the replacement shipborne helicopters, now further exacerbated by a split-contract process that DND brass opposed, is another example of a minister who has been unable to deliver.
Meanwhile, troops are sent overseas to desert conditions with green jungle camouflage uniforms, ships are sent to sea without proper replacement parts for their helicopter detachments and maintenance standards for all types of military equipment are on a downward slide. All of these problems are due to inadequate funding.
But none of this prevents the federal Liberals from using the military for their own political flag-waving, bragging about Canada‘s great peacekeeping role even as its soldiers suffer burnout and medical complications from repeat missions.
Stunned or deceptive? In the end, it doesn‘t really matter why Mr. Eggleton chose his course of action on the prisoner question. Neither explanation is acceptable in a job that requires strength, forthrightness and, most important, the respect of his troops from top to bottom.
In the mind of Mr. Chretien, precisely the right person is in the Defence portfolio.
It is not the person Canada needs right now. But from the perspective of a prime minister who has stubbornly refused to acknowledge the critical role of a strong military to the sovereignty and security of this country, Art Eggleton is a perfect fit.
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