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Government hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

@Kirkhill I think you’re ignoring the fact that Ukraine was the USSR’s aviation and armored vehicle design and production center. Additionally NATO countries and (just as importantly) companies have lent deeply in to helping Ukraine develop a lot of systems, by parts, and technology.

Canada isn’t going to get the same kind of support, so it will need to either 1) Go Alone (risky and expensive) or 2) JV with allied nations or allied companies.

But neither 1 or 2 is viable without the Government committing to buying stuff.

Far from ignoring those limitations Kevin, I am keenly aware of them. Which is why I suggest that we will have a very hard, and narrow, row to hoe.

We do have access to European and Israeli technology through Rheinmetall in Quebec, and that includes a lot of Canadian produced autonomous navigation systems. How long before we could start producing 30mm Skyranger turrets complete and entire? We might be able to buy the EOS Slinger RWS systems from Australia but would we get permission to buy 30x113 Bushmasters if the US decided it was not in their interest to have us so equipped?

Those are my points.

If Canada were denied access to modern weaponry, if we were embargoed by an unsympathetic neighbour and erstwhile allies occupied elsewhere and unwilling to agitate our neighbour what could we do other than filling molotovs. (Image courtesy of Radio Free Europe).

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Agreed, but my GDLS aspect for the London plant is more that Canada doesn’t need more LAV. It needs a more diverse Army equipment plan.

If GDLS wanted to build M1A3’s and their MICV candidate vehicles in Canada I’d be thrilled for that.

But…

You reckon that we would be allowed to build M1A3s and pursue our own independent policies?
 
If Canada were denied access to modern weaponry, if we were embargoed by an unsympathetic neighbour and erstwhile allies occupied elsewhere and unwilling to agitate our neighbour what could we do other than filling molotovs.

If this happens, we aren't joining the fight. Simple as.....

In a situation where the Americans aren't sharing, and Europe wants us there, they'll have to share.

There's no point really preparing for some crazy scenario where it's Canada vs. the world.

We need to reduce dependency on the US (not just in defence) so that they have less leverage over us. That doesn't mean we need to achieve full autarky.
 
What would happen if the decision has made to buy outright, under a National Security decision, GDLS? Fair market value of course.

Nothing. That's what national security exceptions are for. The whole company can be expropriated if necessary. Or they co-operate and build what we want and enjoy their profits. Which is what they will do.
 
If this happens, we aren't joining the fight. Simple as.....

In a situation where the Americans aren't sharing, and Europe wants us there, they'll have to share.

There's no point really preparing for some crazy scenario where it's Canada vs. the world.

We need to reduce dependency on the US (not just in defence) so that they have less leverage over us. That doesn't mean we need to achieve full autarky.

My point remains, we will be walking a fine line between being a well armed vassal and an unarmed sovereign state.

Much like the person who craves freedom but must obey someone else to pay the mortgage.

We can boo the Americans as much as we like, and proclaim I am Canadian to the end of days but we will have to engage with them for a long time to come.

And in the words of my ancestors, "ca' canny" until we can build up our independent capabilities.

How many ball bearings do we make? How many commercial tire plants do we have? Where do we get precision castings in exotic alloys produced?
 
Anyone have Australia on their Bingo card? I certainly did not.

Canada to partner with Australia on early warning detection system in the Arctic​



Who is this federal government of whom they speak? What authority do they have to rewrite the budget?

...

The Aussies have been operating the Jindalee Over The Horizon radar since the 1970s.

We shut down our efforts in the 1980s as too difficult and too expensive.
 
Who is this federal government of whom they speak? What authority do they have to rewrite the budget?

...

The Aussies have been operating the Jindalee Over The Horizon radar since the 1970s.

We shut down our efforts in the 1980s as too difficult and too expensive.
Here's some more info-

Turns out the cash - 6$ billion - has already been allocated in previous budgets so its not new money.

$6B missile detection system to confront threats from Russia and China​


  • most of the $6.6 billion package is not new funding, but was previously approved under past budgets and not yet allocated.
  • U.S. military leaders in Norad have already given the green light to the Australian purchase, because it is at a more advanced stage than American technology
  • It will require the installation of poles or small towers along a 1.3 kilometre expanse, near Peterborough and near the Canadian Forces base in Borden. An official said much of the land has already been purchased for the 10-metre towers, and the federal government does not expect to have to flex its power to expropriate the rest. The official said the remaining parcels of land required do not have homes on them.
  • Carney confirmed the $6 billion purchase on a call with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday before he left London
  • Carney said this week Canada is overly reliant on the U.S. in terms of its defence industrial supply chains and its economic and security relations are “too concentrated” in the U.S.
  • But Tuesday’s radar system purchase, according to the officials, is not intended as a signal of Ottawa’s push to reduce Canada’s supply chain independence from the United States.


 
GDLS London can be spun up to build whatever we want them to build.
For clarity, "whatever we PAY them to build".

As I've observed elsewhere, there is hardly an agency or union or organization involved with providing public and social services that isn't calling for more money and people and insisting that their occupations need higher pay. Meanwhile two of the federal parties are mostly expanding the reach of public agencies with new programs which inevitably are structured to increase demand without addressing supply. ER closures and child care lotteries and other symptoms of shortages due to the inability of politicians to say "no" aren't going to work themselves out. In view of what has been shown to be necessary to start effecting real change, we're going to need a political disruption and reset on the scale of what the US has experienced. The incumbent political establishments should make sacrifices to head that off if they truly value moderation, but that's unlikely. They'll keep snouts in the trough until kicked out, and then they'll whine about the replacements.
 
For clarity, "whatever we PAY them to build".

As I've observed elsewhere, there is hardly an agency or union or organization involved with providing public and social services that isn't calling for more money and people and insisting that their occupations need higher pay. Meanwhile two of the federal parties are mostly expanding the reach of public agencies with new programs which inevitably are structured to increase demand without addressing supply. ER closures and child care lotteries and other symptoms of shortages due to the inability of politicians to say "no" aren't going to work themselves out. In view of what has been shown to be necessary to start effecting real change, we're going to need a political disruption and reset on the scale of what the US has experienced. The incumbent political establishments should make sacrifices to head that off if they truly value moderation, but that's unlikely. They'll keep snouts in the trough until kicked out, and then they'll whine about the replacements.

And Trump's disruption is "enabling" other disruption.




...

Money that was going to benefits, to heat pumps, to net zero... all going to defence and security.
 
And Trump's disruption is "enabling" other disruption.




...

Money that was going to benefits, to heat pumps, to net zero... all going to defence and security.
I wouldn’t necessarily credit President Trump with that. Even with a stable America, the world is a lot more dangerous than the West has been willing to admit for a while.

The Axis of Evil is pushing as hard as they can, and the wants and desires of the West need to govern to the NEEDS.
 
Great news on the new DEW line upgrades. I didn't realize Australia had more advanced radars than the Americans. Neat. This is exact kind of defence diversification we need, why not find better equipment frommore like-minded sources?
 
I wouldn’t necessarily credit President Trump with that. Even with a stable America, the world is a lot more dangerous than the West has been willing to admit for a while.

The Axis of Evil is pushing as hard as they can, and the wants and desires of the West need to govern to the NEEDS.

the world is a lot more dangerous than the West has been willing to admit for a while.

Regardless of the plan or intent the effect has been a change in that willingness. I don't think that willingness would have eventuated had Biden or any other Bush-Obama president been in office.

The man may be loathsome. He may be unpredictable. His methods may be reprehensible. His intentions, at best, unclear. And perhaps his PER shouldn't get a leading change credit. He may not be leading change. But change is happening as a result of him.
 
It would be a map of economic, scientific, political, financial and security threats. Hopefully someone is working on that.

Speaking of Venn diagrams, this one makes Canada look pretty good....


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Venn diagram comparing opportunities and barriers that each studied country is facing for blast furnace ironmaking. Countries within steel production set have iron and steel industry that has been identified as significant on the global market, those within bioenergy set as containing sufficiently large sustainably sourced biomass resources for iron making application, and countries with supporting national policies for adaptation of alternative fuel uses have been enclosed in the policy set.

 
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