Posted on 05/12/2008 1:24:40 PM PDT by Clive
Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled a multibillion-dollar plan for the Canadian Forces on Monday, and promised that the "Canada First" defence strategy will give the military the troop numbers and equipment it needs to do its job.
Mr. Harper said the strategy is a long-term plan that will cost close to $30-billion over 20 years.
"The Canada First defence strategy will strengthen our sovereignty and our security. Our government will ensure the Canadian Forces have the personnel and equipment they need to do their job -- to protect our values and protect our interests, to fulfil Canada's international commitments, to keep our true north strong and free," Mr. Harper said at an news conference in Halifax.
The prime minister said for years the military was "starved and neglected" and that under the government's new plan the "renewal of the Canadian Forces is the most pressing priority."
Like the general workforce, the average age of soldiers in the military is rising, Mr. Harper said, and recruiting a new generation of troops will be a major focus of the government's plan. It wants to expand the size of the Forces to 70,000 with 30,000 more trained soldiers in the reserve force.
The government's plan also involves the procurement of new equipment, which Mr. Harper said will bring economic benefits to the defence industry and communities with military bases and provide jobs for tens of thousands of Canadians.
It plans to replace the military's fleet of combat ships, search-and-rescue aircraft, fighter aircraft, land combat vehicles and systems.
"As the name implies, the first priority of our Canada First defence strategy is to strengthen our ability to defend our country and protect our citizens," Mr. Harper said. The other priorities are ensuring Canada's military has the capacity to meet its commitments to the United States for continental security and to contribute to global security.
"Our strategy will ensure that Canada continues to be a robust and reliable contributor to global security and humanitarian interventions," Mr. Harper said.
Mr. Harper made the announcement at the Halifax Armoury and was joined by Defence Minister Peter MacKay. Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of the defence staff who is weeks away from retirement, was also there for the announcement.
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Good News!!! Canada is looking better every day since his election.
Canada’s policy has always been......Let Uncle Sam do it.
Canada’s policy has always been......Let Uncle Sam do it.
Sounds real serious....
Good thing the vast majority of Americans aren’t like you.
This is good news ... the Canadian government (the CPC at least) reaffirming their commitment to the Canadian Armed Forces.
Sounds good!
That is NOT a fact. Canada entered WWII long before the USA did.
Canada diminished its defence spending to historically low levels beginning with that Commie idiot, Pierre Elliot Trudeau. This was followed by 30 more years of the same liberal social engineering , language control, gun control,communist philosophy in Canada's government, so that Canada indeed did " Let the USA do it." during that period of time. Its a blight on the history of Canada.
Harper is getting back to what Canadians truly want in their government, and the values of that are conservative. Canada still has a vast frontier, and needs men who can ride all day and shoot straight.And so Canada has plenty of rural men who will make some of the best soldiers in the world, unlike their soft urban counterparts in Europe and much of the USA.
I am very happy for Canada. Go Harper, GO!
Yeah, like WWII, where we dependant Canucks went in two full years before the US of Freaking America dragged their sorry isolationist ASS into the single most important war for freedom EVER.
Yes, we ended up with the third largest navy (after you and the Brits) and the fourth largest airforce (after the Brits, the communists, and yourselves), despite the fact that it meant that 1 of every 5 Canadians was in uniform.
Do a little research into who carried EVERYONE’S water on the North Atlantic runs, and the cleanup through the “low countries” after D-Day, while you Yanks, the Brits, and the Russians were “Racing for Glory, and Berlin” after the invasion.
There isn’t a single Canadian soldier who wouldn’t have rather had ANY American beach during D-Day rather than Juno, but you’ve watched too many movies to understand that Hollywood is a BIG lie.
We went into Korea with teeth bared and hackles up, too.
More Canadians went to the states to volunteer for service in VietNam than came here as traitorious scumbags, too, but now that these pieces of human waste now have a little bit of a voice, you choose to accuse ALL Canadians of being anti-American, when it’s 99% YOUR expatriots fomenting such nonsense.
Give me a break, and get a sense of REAL history before you DARE cast aspersions upon the MEN (and women, now) who defend not just my nation, but freedom itself.
I’m impressed so far. Keep it up Canada.
Funny how when complaining of someone casting aspersions aboot Canada you then cast aspersions aboot the US eh?
What *I* said is easily researched and proven. The other poster's statement was bordering on libel, and insulting to my country's men under arms.
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