Canadian peacekeeping is dead, and the Canadian Armed Forces are near death. The public doesn’t seem to care, and the Trudeau government, much like most of its predecessors over the last thirty years, believes that only social programs and health care matter.
With the world in a precarious place, what assurance does Canada have that we are well prepared for any coming conflict? When it comes to defence and security, the answer is depressingly little.
In most countries, replacing donated weapons would be a no-brainer. In this nation, however, the defence procurement system is completely broken, and there is no indication that the government will provide the necessary funds.
His death coming just days before the end of hostilities, Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray was very likely the last Canadian serviceman killed in action in the Second World War.
The “Uganda Affair” is the story of one of the most shameful incidents in Canadian military history: when, prompted by weak Liberal policy, the HMCS Uganda voted to quit fighting and send itself home near the end of the Second World War.
Putin’s war can only be assessed as a disaster. He might “win” his special military operation, but Russia is certain to have been the loser.
The Trudeau government’s April budget makes clear that national interests were not much in mind in Ottawa. But if neither the public nor the government believes in defence, we can rely only on good wishes and high hopes.
Western intelligence failures have been abundant as of late. But accurate and transparent intelligence releases in the lead up to the invasion of Ukraine were a major win for America and the West.
We live in a war-weary world, and we need to study war’s causes, its horrors and glories, and its effects on our ancestors and our present lives.
