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Hillier: The soldier's soldier Chief of defence staff is arguably one of the toughest jobs within the federal government. And two years into it, Gen. Rick Hillier has become a force to be reckoned with in the capital. But how well is he succeeding in his mission to transform the military? asks Richard Foot. By Richard Foot The Ottawa Citizen January 28, 2007 When Gen. Rick Hillier strode onto the national stage two years ago this month, Canadians had never witnessed a military boss quite like him -- crude in his assessment of the country's enemies, cunning in his courtship...

Ressam at times defiant in 2 days of questioning By Mike Carter Seattle Times staff reporter After more than a year of cooperating with federal prosecutors, Ahmed Ressam has become a sometimes difficult and defiant government witness. Ressam was at times surly and evasive during two days of closed-door questioning this week in Seattle by German lawyers who need his help prosecuting Mounir el-Motassadeq, a Moroccan accused of helping the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers. Ressam, convicted of conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism, might be endangering his deal with federal prosecutors to serve as few as 27 years...

Hillier whisked away after roadside bombingCTV.ca News Staff March 10, 2006 Canada's top soldier was helping with work on the ground in Afghanistan Friday when a roadside bomb went off just 800 metres from where he was chatting with a village elder. Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of the defence staff, was whisked away in an armoured vehicle. A U.S. Blackhawk helicopter picked him up from the army's forward operating base in Gumbad, and took him to Kandahar. The blast lightly damaged a Canadian Bison armoured vehicle, used as an ambulance. However, no one was hurt in the attack. "I'm...

Canadian Forces chief says the public, not politicians, will save military Dene Moore Canadian Press November 25, 2005 ST. JOHN'S, N.L. (CP) - The chief of the Canadian Armed Forces says he won't be lining up for federal spending promises ahead of a probable January election. Gen. Rick Hillier, in a speech delivered Friday to a local service club, said that he will rely on the Canadian public, not politicians, to ensure a strong military. "My wish list is that Canadians understand and see us fully and understand the value they get from us and out of that will come...

Canadian troops on standby to help U.S. relief effort: HillierThursday, September 1, 2005 Updated at 1:52 PM EDT Globe and Mail Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier says the Canadian Forces have been put on standby to help the United States deal with the aftermath of hurricane Katrina if the neighbour asks. Gen. Hillier says he spoke to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers and the commander of the U.S. Northern Command. Canadian Forces are capable of helping out in emergency relief by delivering goods and generating drinking water among other things, he said. He...

Rick Hillier's Right, So Back OffBy Lewis MacKenzie August 1, 2005 Now that we have a chief of the defence staff who calls a spade a spade rather than a pitchfork, and a terrorist a "scumbag" rather than a disenfranchised youth who had a rough childhood, and confirms that our military's role is to kill as efficiently as possible once the political order has been given rather than participate in "peacekeeping" missions that rarely meet the criteria for success, the critics have come out of the woodwork. The problem, if there is one for General Rick Hillier, has been the...

EDMONTON (CP) - Canada's top military officials are brushing off criticism from Independent MP Carolyn Parrish over the blunt language of Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier. The maverick MP, a former Liberal, has called Hillier "dangerous" and "testosterone-fuelled" for saying the job of Canadian soldiers is to be able to kill people. Hillier was in Edmonton on Tuesday with Defence Minister Bill Graham to see off about 110 soldiers who are on their way to Afghanistan for a reconstruction mission. The plain-speaking general said he hadn't seen Parrish's comments but wasn't particularly concerned about them. "I'm part of ensuring...

"The London attack actually tells us once more: We can't let up. These are detestable murderers and scumbags. "They detest our freedoms, they detest our society, they detest our liberties." Were these the words of U.S. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, or Australian PM John Howard? Or one of their top ministers or generals? No, migawd, these were the blunt, straight-ahead words of a Canadian. And not just any Canadian. They were the publicly stated words this past week of Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of the defence staff for the Canadian Forces. In other words, he's...

OTTAWA (CP) - If Canadians were shocked that the head of their military called his enemy "detestable murderers and scumbags," they better get used to it. Gen. Rick Hillier has never minced words, nor is he likely to start any time soon. His blunt assessment of terrorists in Afghanistan and elsewhere this week has the wholehearted backing of the prime minister. "General Hillier is not only a top soldier, he is a soldier who has served in Afghanistan," Paul Martin said Friday in Nova Scotia. "The point he is simply making is we are at war with terrorism and we're...

OTTAWA -- Canada's blunt-talking top soldier won praise yesterday for his clear and sometimes brutal description of the coming military effort against terrorist "scumbags" in Afghanistan. Defence analysts and politicians from the NDP and the Conservative Party said it is time for a military leader like General Rick Hillier, who speaks from the heart about the role of the Canadian Forces in the war on terror. "Controlled anger, given what's happened, is an appropriate response," NDP Leader Jack Layton said. "We have a very committed, level-headed head of our armed forces, who isn't afraid to express the passion that underlies...

OTTAWA (CP) - If Canadians were shocked that the head of their military called his enemy "detestable murderers and scumbags," they better get used to it. Gen. Rick Hillier has never minced words, nor is he likely to start any time soon. His blunt assessment of terrorists in Afghanistan and elsewhere this week has the wholehearted backing of the prime minister. "General Hillier is not only a top soldier, he is a soldier who has served in Afghanistan," Paul Martin said Friday in Nova Scotia. "The point he is simply making is we are at war with terrorism and we're...

Canada urged to go after `scumbags' General evokes fight against Nazis Active role for troops pushed Bruce Campion-Smith Ottawa Bureau July 15, 2005 STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada’s chief of defence staff, says last week’s terrorist attack “just tells us once more we can’t let up.” OTTAWA—Canada must take its fight against "detestable murderers and scumbags" to the failed states abroad where they are allowed to "spread their venom," the country's top general said yesterday. Comparing the situation to that of the fight against Nazi Germany, a tough-talking Gen. Rick Hillier says the attacks against the...