Check It Out: Canadian military incapable of protecting our borders

By Joan Janzen

The Canadian soldier returned home and said to his wife, “I survived IED’s, RPG attacks and extreme weather conditions.”

His wife countered, “I raised both of our kids for a year by myself.”

“You win,” the wise husband responded.

I also found this comparison interesting: Being a nice guy is like the Canadian military - cute, innocent, isn’t taken seriously and will never get any action. Unfortunately, at the present time, our military isn’t being taken seriously.

In previous articles, I’ve reviewed some of the wasteful government spending. This week, we’ll look at the lack of government spending on our military.

Canadian filmmaker Aaron Gunn has produced an informative documentary entitled “Forsaken Warriors: How Trudeau Broke Canada’s Military.” Having served in the Canadian Army Reserves for three years, Aaron is passionate about our military.

In an online interview, he said, “I don’t think the government is serious about national security. There should be no higher priority for the federal government, but it seems to be an afterthought at best.”

Aaron’s documentary takes its viewers on a historical journey to see how we arrived at this crisis. During the First World War, headlines read, “Canadians play a part in Great Victory; the poppy is still worn in recognition of that war. Likewise, Canada played a decisive role in WWII, proving to be a professional body that made a serious contribution.

At that time, Canada’s military was a dominant force worldwide, with the fifth-largest army, fourth-largest Air Force and third-largest navy. In stark contrast, in 2023, our Air Force was rated 30th largest in the world, and our Navy was 20th largest.

In the 1980s, Canada’s anti-aircraft guns were vintage WWII, and planes were propeller-type. There were defence budget cuts, and the military was in a state of repair.

The decade from 1994 to 2004 was referred to as the “Decade of Darkness.” Newly elected Jean Chrétien scaled back defence spending and consigned much of Canada’s national security to the US. Military bases were closed, and training was curtailed. Brian Mulroney’s contract to replace Canada’s 30-year-old helicopter fleet was terminated, costing taxpayers $500 million in cancellation fees.

Aaron travelled to the Royal Canadian Military College in Kingston and talked to college professor Christian Leuprecht. The professor recalled, “Submarines were bought from the UK for $700 million, and then we spent $4.1 billion to make them seaworthy. At that point you might as well have just bought a new submarine”.

In the mid-2000s, Prime Minister Paul Martin, followed by Steven Harper, acquired new armoured vehicles, modernized the Canadian Navy, commissioned a national ship-building strategy, and the Air Force purchased the super Hercules.

Peter MacKay, who was Defence Minister at that time, said planes were twice as old as the pilots. In 2010 the Harper government announced the F-35 purchase for the Air Force joining other Allied Nations in selecting the new fifth-generation fighter jets. Delivery was to be in 2016, but by then there was a new government.

It didn’t take long before the new Prime Minister made an announcement. The headline read: “We will not buy the F-35 fighter jet”. Peter MacKay described it as “political interference” because the previous government had given the directive. Shortly after, another headline read: “Canada to buy fleet of 30-year-old fighter jets from Australia in snub to US”.

MacKay’s description of “political interference” proved to be accurate. He noted that in 2022, the government purchased the same F-35 jets they had cancelled in 2016 at a higher cost. “But that was just the tip of the iceberg,” he added.

The documentary highlighted the layers of bureaucracy in Ottawa, which slow processes down and result in years of waiting to replace equipment. An Ottawa Citizen headline in April 2024 read: “Canadian military to destroy 11,000 World War-era pistols.” It took twenty-five years to replace the pistols. During those years, they were paying captains, majors, and colonels to look after the problem.

In contrast, MacKay reported that during the Afghan war, tanks were purchased in six months and helicopters in nine months. “All because the government wanted it done,” he explained.

Aaron spoke to the former commander of the Canadian Army and former Liberal MP, Andrew Lesley. Lesley said, “The Armed Forces are in a state of disrepair and crisis. This is far worse than the Decade of Darkness, and it’s going to take another decade to get out of it.”

He continued to say, “They sent crates of firearms to Ukraine, but soldiers here don’t have the equipment to train or the money to do what they need to do.”

A May 2024 CBC headline read: “State of Canadian Armed Forces’ combat readiness growing worse, government report warns.” In February 2023, a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over Canada, but Canada didn’t have the capabilities to shoot it down.

Even though the Canadian military relaxed entry requirements to boost recruitment, Andrew Lesley said, “We’re 16,000 people short of establishment, regular and reserve, the lowest in over 35 years. How do you replace those with 20 years of service who do all the training?”

The Prime Minister recently promised that 2% of GDP would be spent on defence, but Peter MacKay is skeptical. “It’s not the first time he talked a big game but fails to follow through,” he said. ‘The recent budget has all the facts, and in 2025 the Armed Forces is taking another budget hit.”

Aaron travelled to Washington DC where he discovered Canada’s international reputation is also taking a hit. Officials in Washington suggested Canada should be kicked out of the G7.

These are conversations that are happening, Aaron explained while being interviewed. “The allies are frustrated, and we can’t even protect our own borders right now. But it’s something we have to turn around.”

All that government waste and extravagant spending could be infused into the military, which so desperately needs funding and attention. Now, that would be a win-win situation.