adplus-dvertising
Connect with us

News

Jean Charest says Canada 'unprepared' for conflict, pitches major investments in defence – CBC News

Published

 on


Conservative leadership candidate Jean Charest said Monday a government led by him would spend much more money on Canada’s armed forces and promised cash to buy new equipment and establish two new military bases in the Arctic.

Charest — who made the announcement while touring Nova Scotia, a province that is home to a large number of military personnel and veterans — said Canada has been underfunding the armed forces for too long and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has underscored just how “unprepared” the country really is.

“[Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau’s indifference and inaction in support of the Canadian Armed Forces has made it harder to retain qualified personnel, harder to recruit, tougher to train, and impossible for Canada to meet its obligations to its allies globally. Our allies have taken notice and are choosing to leave us out of important security arrangements,” Charest said, referring to the AUKUS military pact signed by Australia, the U.S. and the United Kingdom last year.

To get Canada back in the mix, Charest said he’d boost military spending to 2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) as “quickly as it can be responsibly done.” GDP is a metric used to measure the size of a country’s entire economy.

Under the current Liberal government, military spending was about 1.36 per cent of GDP in 2021, according to NATO figures — well below what the country spent during the Cold War.

In the 1960s, Canada’s military spending amounted to roughly 4 per cent of GDP. It was around 2 per cent in the 1980s before it dropped dramatically during a period of austerity and budget cuts in the 1990s.

All NATO members, including Canada, have committed to spending 2 per cent of national GDP on the military. But Canada, like some other countries, has done little to actually hit that target.

Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, left, and Minister of National Defence Anita Anand arrive at a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday, March 3, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

With the war in Ukraine raging, Defence Minister Anita Anand signalled recently Canada will commit more money to the military in this week’s federal budget. To hit the NATO target, Canada’s defence budget would have to increase from the planned $32 billion spending target to roughly $58 billion.

Charest said that, if he becomes prime minister, he’d direct some of the promised new spending to establishing two new military bases in the Arctic — including a deepwater port — and purchase two armed icebreakers to shore up Canada’s presence in the region. He said he’d work with the U.S. to modernize NORAD defensive and early warning systems and “explore” the possibility of upgrading the submarine fleet to do a better job of defending all three of Canada’s coasts.

The Liberal government restarted the fighter jet procurement process when it first assumed office in 2015, something Charest said was “irresponsible.”

A U.S. F-35 fighter jet flies over the Eifel Mountains near Spangdahlem, Germany on Feb. 23, 2022. (Harald Tittel/Associated Press)

While Trudeau initially ran for office opposed to buying Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter planes, the government now appears poised to sign a deal for those aircraft, which are already used by the U.S. and other NATO allies.

Charest said the seven-year-long process to buy these jets has been too slow. He said a government led by him would “streamline bureaucratic processes” and “speed up competitions” to accelerate future purchases and avoid costly delays.

In addition to ongoing procurement issues, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has also struggled to recruit new members in recent years.

There’s money on the books to bring the fighting force up to 71,500 regular members and 30,000 reservists but the CAF is well off that mark. At last count, there were only about 65,000 regular force members.

Charest said he’d strive to make the CAF a more welcoming work environment by tackling the sexual misconduct that has plagued the military in recent years, dragging down efforts to recruit more women.

The former Quebec premier said Trudeau has overseen a “dysfunctional and unacceptable deterioration” in the CAF and the military has become a place where “female, minority and LGBTQ+ have experienced systemic and unfair obstacles while participating in what should be safe and merit-based environments.”

He said he’d also try to woo back recently retired CAF members with unspecified incentives and force Canada’s colleges and universities to allow military recruiters to set up recruitment centres on their campuses.

As for Canada’s veterans, Charest promised a return to the pre-2006 Pension Act benefits that were available to disabled and injured veterans. The rollout of a new benefits and pensions regime has been an ongoing source of consternation for former CAF members injured on duty.

He also promised new benefits for veterans with a minimum of five years regular force service or reservists who were in the CAF for at least seven years. He said those benefits could include access to low-cost mortgages, loans for veterans who want to start or expand a business and education grants for those who want to study in another field.

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

News

End of Manitoba legislature session includes replacement-worker ban, machete rules

Published

 on

WINNIPEG – Manitoba politicians are expected to pass several bills into law before the likely end of legislature session this evening.

The NDP government, with a solid majority of seats, is getting its omnibus budget bill through.

It enacts tax changes outlined in the spring budget, but also includes unrelated items, such as a ban on replacement workers during labour disputes.

The bill would also make it easier for workers to unionize, and would boost rebates for political campaign expenses.

Another bill expected to pass this evening would place new restrictions on the sale of machetes, in an attempt to crack down on crime.

Among the bills that are not expected to pass this session is one making it harder for landlords to raise rents above the inflation rate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

News

Father charged with second-degree murder in infant’s death: police

Published

 on

A Richmond Hill, Ont., man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his seven-week-old infant earlier this year.

York Regional Police say they were contacted by the York Children’s Aid Society about a child who had been taken to a hospital in Toronto on Jan. 15.

They say the baby had “significant injuries” that could not be explained by the parents.

The infant died three days later.

Police say the baby’s father, 30, was charged with second-degree murder on Oct. 23.

Anyone with more information on the case is urged to contact investigators.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

News

Ontario fast-tracking several bills with little or no debate

Published

 on

TORONTO – Ontario is pushing through several bills with little or no debate, which the government house leader says is due to a short legislative sitting.

The government has significantly reduced debate and committee time on the proposed law that would force municipalities to seek permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a car lane.

It also passed the fall economic statement that contains legislation to send out $200 cheques to taxpayers with reduced debating time.

The province tabled a bill Wednesday afternoon that would extend the per-vote subsidy program, which funnels money to political parties, until 2027.

That bill passed third reading Thursday morning with no debate and is awaiting royal assent.

Government House Leader Steve Clark did not answer a question about whether the province is speeding up passage of the bills in order to have an election in the spring, which Premier Doug Ford has not ruled out.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending