The next federal general election isn't expected until late 2025 but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's's latest cabinet shuffle, one of the most extensive on record, is seen as a sign that his minority Liberal government will focus on economics in general and "affordability" in particular in the next couple of years
Increasing foreign interest in the Arctic and a need to replace the Royal Canadian Navy's four ageing submarines could at least partly address NATO's pressure on Canada to spend more on defence.
Politicians, scholars and commentators have sought to explain or justify the apparent delinquency in Canada’s defence effort over the years. It remains unclear whether or how much the promised new defence policy update will address the matter of NATO's 2% minimum defence spending commitment.
Former head of defence procurement at Canada's Department of National Defence, made the following remarks at the Standing Committee of National Defence hearing on 16 June 2023. He says the capital costs of Canada’s new fighter jets and surface combatant ships will exceed $100 billion dollars over a 10-year period, and could effectively bankrupt the Canadian Armed Forces unless new monies are injected.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's confirmation that his country will be ready to position tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus in a matter of weeks must be nudging the Doomsday Clock closer to midnight.
Preparing to retire from the House of Commons June 23, former Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole has warned MPs to avoid polarizing “performance politics” and focus on national unity. “Too many of us are often chasing algorithms down a sinkhole of diversion and division,” he told the House. “We are becoming elected officials who judge our self-worth by how many ‘likes” we get on social media, but not how many lives we change in the real world.”
The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence issued the following statement today related to the One-Year Anniversary of the Independent External Comprehensive Review on sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Chinese election interference is a hot topic in Canada today. Yet, while it is indeed a matter of enormous importance, it is one that must be placed in the context of the new Cold War against the West.
The Military Police Complaints Commission is looking into how military police handled the sexual-assault allegation against Major-General Dany Fortin, who was cleared of misconduct and acquitted by a Quebec Court last December. Fortin says he was the victim of a biased investigation and the Commission said today that his statements about senior military officials make it a matter of public interest.
The first report by the government's External Monitor on misconduct and abuse within the Department of National defence and the Canadian Armed Forces has been delivered at what could be consider "lightspeed" within most bureaucracies.
Two former Canadian Armed Forces veterans have been reported killed by Russian artillery fire while defending the besieged Ukrainian city of Bakhmut last week. Identified as Cole Zelenco, 21, from St. Catharines and Kyle Porter, 27, of Calgary, they are believed to be the fourth and fifth Canadian volunteers killed since the war began
The CAF is in crisis mode, attempting to deal with a lack of personnel and equipment, efforts to change its culture, operational pressures and reputational challenges. This huge machine cannot rapidly ramp up from dereliction when needed – it's time for Canadians to begin to recognize service to country as important, and give it the priority it deserves.
The U.S. announced today that it will send Ukraine an additional $500 million in ammunition and equipment to be followed by more than $2 billion in other weaponry and materiel as Ukraine prepares for a spring counteroffensive against Russia. Much of the ammunition will be taken from current stockpiles.
NASA announced the selection of Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen to fly to the Moon on the Artemis II mission. This will be the first crewed flight test of the Orion spacecraft launching on the SLS rocket. Hansen will be the first Canadian to ever venture to the Moon.
The federal budget plans a 3% reduction in across-the-board spending and new spending is squarely focusing on domestic economic issues. The defence policy review, announced a year ago, will likely be stalled while to government turns its attention to domestic needs.
President Vladimir Putin says Russia plans to station but control tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus this summer, saying it would not violate nuclear non-proliferation agreements. “There is nothing unusual here,” he says. “The United States has […] long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries.”
An anonymous veteran federal public servant was identified today as the source for a series of internationally embarrassing disclosures about foreign interference in Canadian affairs and about seeming government indifference or reluctance to act over the years. Acknowledging the prospect of eventual prosecution if identified, the whistleblower explains the reasons for sharing concerns about an evolving threat.
All future activities in the Northwest Passage should be assessed through an Environmental, Social, and Governance lens, advise Hunerfauth and Landry as they provide an overview of key considerations.
It is estimated that Ukraine is firing as many as 5,000 artillery rounds and missiles a day in its counteroffensive against Russian invaders, as much as some of its European allies manufacture in a year. That pales against more than three times as many Russian "fires" on any given day, but as Ukraine needs to ramp up its own stockpiles in preparation for a spring escalation of the conflict, Canada and other allies are having to deal with their ability to meet that need.
With imaginations running wild over the four objects sighted over North American airspace, it is likely that a new definition of UFO and new technology, such as sensors that can detect low profile and low heat signatures, will be required to spot and neutralize future Unauthorized Flying Objects (UFOs).
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