Canada finds itself with a foreign affairs problem. Being rebuked by India for publicly accusing the Indian government of facilitating the execution of a Canadian Sikh person and then blundering by recognizing a WWII Ukrainian Nazi soldier during a parliamentary session attended by Ukrainian Leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy Canada has gained a black eye. And now Canada’s military are facing critical shortages.
Now with the war raging in Ukraine and a new war being fought between Israel and Hamas, munition shortages are facing all NATO nations and the US. Canada too faces a munition shortage for its armed forces. And ramping up production takes several years to accomplish. In the meantime, the wars are eating through stockpiles and in Canada, those stockpiles are reaching alarming levels.
Geopolitics are changing with the growth of China on the foreign stage and its involvement in politics around the world. In Canada we have learned of the Chinese interference in our elections and the establishment of police services in our major cities.
The black eye has gotten larger over the years as Canadian governments have failed to modernize its weapon systems. The currant Canadian Armed forces are facing shortages of manpower now approaching 15,000 persons. The problem has been growing in the last five years. Canada for decades has failed to meet its NATO requirements hiding the difference with excellent personnel while watching its numbers decline and its equipment age out of usefulness.
We may be acquiring new ships and F35 aircraft, and the military is looking to spend $850 million in the next decade to modernize its Leopard 2 tanks with the latest in technology. In February 2023 the defense minister announced a plan to purchase 8 tanks to replace those given to Ukraine, but at writing no purchase order has been written.
Often Canada’s military due to red tape and inertia, fail to spend the monies allocated.
The world is changing, and Canada can no longer live in the shadow of the United States verbally supporting initiatives but failing to live up to our words. Canada’s governing parties must rethink of how we want to see the role that Canada will play in the 2020’s and 2030’s. We need to change our diplomatic, military and economics so that we can make a constructive contribution to the world order. Our governments must ensure that Canada is able to prosper and protect the interests of Canadians.
