Returning to the topic of "Do Canadians even care anymore?" ...
This Edmonton Sun editorial is interesting (and is posted here since it won't be available after today via URL/link):
The vanishing phase
They are public servants in the truest sense of the word, but they aren't out walking any picket lines. They endure often horrendous working conditions for which even their recently raised wages still don't seem fair compensation.
Yet they never talk of going on strike.
They are our Armed Forces, and, as the Sun's Stephanie Rubec has painstakingly (and painfully) documented, they are a proud but vanishing breed thanks to years of government underfunding and neglect.
Almost every piece of kit in our Forces is 20-30 years old, with the odd exception, such as state-of-the-art Coyote vehicles used in Afghanistan.
But overall, as our military's rusting, decaying equipment goes, so goes our Forces.
As defence analyst Howie Marsh of the Conference of Defence Associations told Rubec: "From 2008-13 you're likely to see the disappearance of the air force and half the navy and half the army.... We're into the vanishing phase."
Sobering words, given that the rest of the world is engaged in the war on terrorism - a war to which Prime Minister Paul Martin has said we are committed.
How we're going to meet those commitments with a vanishing military is an open, urgent question.
And Martin's vague promises to build a new peacekeeping brigade are no answer.
There may be, however, a glimmer of hope in the sad litany of military breakdowns and bad decisions Rubec detailed, which makes it clear this problem goes deeper - no pun intended - than our faulty submarine fleet.
Last week's fatal fire on the problem-plagued HMCS Chicoutimi has riveted public attention on the problem and forced the government to conduct an inquiry. Lieut. Chris Saunders, 32, a father of two, was given a full military funeral in Halifax this week.
If there is any decency in our now-humbled Liberal minority government, the inquiry - and the public outrage - won't stop at subs, but will extend to how we support and equip all our troops.
The sub fire may have been a rare occurrence, but it must be viewed as part of a grim pattern for our troops. People are taking notice. The sub fiasco was a tipping point - a signal that Ottawa's neglect has gone too far.
The navy has announced it is docking all the problem-plagued subs pending the fire investigation.
But without a full review of our military and a solid commitment to rebuilding it, this temporary move could signal our Forces' future - stalled and headed for oblivion. Unfortunately, given the report that the government is going to cut the Defence budget next year, it would seem that Canada has chosen oblivion.
