Canada disarming itself: study
Last Updated Wed, 03 Dec 2003 15:57:55

OTTAWA - Canada is becoming the first major power to disarm itself because the government continues to neglect its military, according to a new report.

Report says Canadian military needs $50 billion over next 15 years

A Queen's University study titled Canada Without Armed Forces? predicts the "air force will likely disappear through 2008-2013 time frame and either the army or navy will disappear in the same time frame."

"Canada cannot help but become the first modern and major power to disarm itself," the report says, adding that if the military falls further into disrepair, in a few years Canada effectively will be disarmed.

The report says the Canadian military needs a cash infusion of $50 billion over the next 15 years to replace military equipment. The report recommends the defense budget be increased to $5 billion annually.

The report, produced by the university's defence management program, says the state of the Canadian Forces is at a "national crisis." Lack of funding will make Canada's major military equipment "operationally irrelevant" in five to 10 years, it says.

"Canada is heading for a long period when governments will be without effective military resources…for domestic defence and territorial surveillance," the report says.

Canada's foreign policies will be affected as it "repeatedly backs away from foreign commitments because it lacks adequate military forces," the report says.



Well so much for the CAF, say goodbye people, the pretty soon the Americans will send their Airforce cadets over the border and stick the stars and stripes right in the middle of Parliment Hill and there will be dick all we can do about it. :(

Do you really think anything has changed in the last 30 years, re: the ability of America to just take us over militarily? Even in 1970, I would wager taht the Americans would have been able to take us over militarily. They are the strongest military nation on earth.

This isn't to say that the current state of Canada's military is acceptable, nor am I suggesting that the armed forces have *not* deteriorated over the last 15 years. It's just that Canada's army has not been strong enough to repell America anytime during my lifetime (spanning 29 years), nor do I think Canadians are prepared to pay the huge amounts of money requried to make our armed force capable of taking on the Americans and winning.

considerign our debt load, it saddens me, but I accept it as a reality of our choice to keep significant health care and social work programs.

unless people were willing to reduce spending in these areas, we'll not see any new real military spending.