Increased Spending for War

The Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs is expected to release its report on the State of Readiness of the Canadian Armed Forces by the end of the month.

It is being suggested that this report will be critical of the government and unanimous in its recommendation regarding the current capabilities of the armed forces in terms of both manpower and the status of its equipment. One committee member has been quoted as saying that the report will ask the government to take immediate action to increase spending on military equipment including the purchase of new heavy-lift planes. In the recent deployment of Canadian Forces to Afghanistan the ability to transport troops and equipment was a problem and heavy-lift aircraft from the U.S. airforce had to be utilized.

Recently, the government has admitted that it may not be able to continue to meet its commitments in Afghanistan and the Balkans with the current size of Canada's armed forces, and it is expected that the report will address this issue. Canada currently has 52,600 trained soldiers, but less than 8,000 are combat troops, with the remainder playing a support role. Of the combat troops, about 2,000 are deployed in Afghanistan and 1,700 in the Balkans. This does not leave enough reserve combat troops available for a normal rotation of personnel. At the time of the decision to send Canadian troops to Afghanistan the Canadian Alliance was particularly critical of Canada's ability to join the U.S. mission, both because of the number of troops available, as well as their battle preparedness.

Why is the issue of Canada's preparedness and capability for war being raised at this time and to what end? Since the events of September 11 the U.S. has demanded from its allies not only full moral support but support in other ways too, not least of which has been military. It has used its War on Terrorism to strengthen its political and military dictate over its allies not only for its current campaign, but also in preparation for military adventures and wars far greater than what we are witnessing now.

Why does Canada need heavy-lift aircraft, increased manpower in its armed forces or billions of dollars worth of new equipment? These capabilities are certainly not required for the defence of Canada. There is a need for such things only in the context of deeper commitments in support of the activities of U.S. imperialism world wide. The slippery slope of sending troops to Afghanistan is only leading Canada deeper into the clutches of the Americans. Having already bowed to George Bush's demands, the Canadian government now appears ready to commit further to U.S. dictate by increasing its military spending and war capabilities.