Significant' military spending coming, Garneau says

Senate committee calls for Liberals to kill interim Super Hornet purchase

May 08, 2017

OTTAWA — The Senate defence committee has urged the Liberal government to cancel its decision to buy 18 Super Hornet fighter jets without a competition.

Canadian Press



OTTAWA — The Senate defence committee has urged the Liberal government to cancel its decision to buy 18 Super Hornet fighter jets without a competition.

The committee said the cost of buying the fighter jets will outweigh any potential benefits, and that the government should launch an immediate competition to replace Canada's CF-18s.

The assessment and recommendation are contained in a report released Monday, in which senators called on the government to double defence spending to two per cent of GDP over the next decade.

"This is the only way to effectively protect Canadians, meet our commitments to NATO and NORAD, and to our own national defence," said Conservative senator and committee chairman Daniel Lang.

"Increasing spending to two per cent will allow Canada to stop freeloading on our southern neighbour when it comes to our own security."

The committee's report included a long shopping list of items the government should buy, and comes as the Liberals prepare to release their new defence policy.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has said successive federal governments have underfunded the military.

He repeated that message in the House of Commons on Monday, as Conservatives called his credibility into question and tabled a symbolic non-confidence motion for a vote.

Conservative defence critic James Bezan accused Sajjan of having a "casual relationship" with the truth, which he said had undermined the defence minister's credibility and standing among the troops.

Sajjan, a former soldier and Afghan war veteran, has faced sustained verbal fire, having exaggerated his role in Operation Medusa, a key battle involving the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan in 2006.

The defence minister has since apologized, but the Conservatives say he also misled Canadians on other issues, such as the urgent need for Super Hornets and cuts to tax benefits for soldiers deployed to Kuwait

But the minister refused to be drawn into the debate, and instead spent about 20 minutes re-reading a speech he had delivered to defence industry representatives and experts last week.

"I have made my statement. I also made my statements in the House and answered the questions," he said, referring to his having apologized on Facebook and in the House last week.

"I am focused on making sure that we support our men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces."

https://www.sudbury.com/national/senate-committee-calls-for-liberals-to-kill-interim-super-hornet-purchase-608772

With a trade war brewing between Trudeau and Trump, this might be the PM's way of trying to play ball in the hope that this will satisfy Trump and get him to back off.

So wasn't there a budget last month? Wouldn't "significant expenditures" have been in said budget?

Sorta have to wonder if this is to get Trump to back off on NAFTA if Canada increases their military spending? After all Trump increased the US military budget very "significantly".

One thing is for sure, the joke is over and Trudeau had better start producing results.

bruce72 wrote:OTTAWA -- Transport Minister Marc Garneau says Canadians can expect "significant expenditures" to come out of the government's defence policy review.

The long-awaited policy review, which was expected last December, will be unveiled before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads to the NATO summit in Brussels at the end of the month, Garneau said in an interview with Evan Solomon, host of CTV's Question Period.

"If we are to properly equip our men and women, of whom we ask a great deal, then we're going to have to make significant expenditures," he said.

"We have chronically under-funded the military. We've been doing it in successive governments. This is not a partisan issue," Garneau added.

The Liberals have been clear, Garneau said, that 65 fighter jets the previous Conservative government wanted to buy won't be enough to support Canada's commitments to NORAD and NATO. Garneau also said the previous government didn't put aside enough money for new ships or helicopters.

"No money had been identified for that. There are a number of significant expenditures that we are going to have to make," he said.

"I think Canadians recognize that when we call upon our military to go into troubled spots, into war areas, we need to properly [equip them] and we need to take care of them afterwards. And that recognition is going to be in the defence policy review as it never has before."

http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/significant-military-spending-coming-garneau-says-1.3400682

I wonder where I heard these same words before, maybe now that Trump has challenged JT on the 2% GDP on defence spending, they will actually move up the spending.

OTTAWA -- Transport Minister Marc Garneau says Canadians can expect "significant expenditures" to come out of the government's defence policy review.

The long-awaited policy review, which was expected last December, will be unveiled before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads to the NATO summit in Brussels at the end of the month, Garneau said in an interview with Evan Solomon, host of CTV's Question Period.

"If we are to properly equip our men and women, of whom we ask a great deal, then we're going to have to make significant expenditures," he said.

"We have chronically under-funded the military. We've been doing it in successive governments. This is not a partisan issue," Garneau added.

The Liberals have been clear, Garneau said, that 65 fighter jets the previous Conservative government wanted to buy won't be enough to support Canada's commitments to NORAD and NATO. Garneau also said the previous government didn't put aside enough money for new ships or helicopters.

"No money had been identified for that. There are a number of significant expenditures that we are going to have to make," he said.

"I think Canadians recognize that when we call upon our military to go into troubled spots, into war areas, we need to properly [equip them] and we need to take care of them afterwards. And that recognition is going to be in the defence policy review as it never has before."

http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/significant-military-spending-coming-garneau-says-1.3400682