Harper Announces Plan To Establish A Canadian Armed Forces Reserve Unit In Yukon
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced a plan to establish a Canadian Armed Forces reserve unit in Yukon. A primary reserve unit in Yukon will complement other measures which the Harper Government has taken to protect Canadian sovereignty in the north and will build a stronger connection between the Canadian Armed Forces and the people of Yukon.
“Our Government has made the rebuilding of the Canadian military a priority since we took office,” the Prime Minister said. “The establishment of a reserve unit in Yukon will provide important enhanced capacity for the Canadian Armed Forces in the north as part of its mission to defend Canada’s sovereignty.”
This announcement builds on Prime Minister Harper’s previously announced plan for expanding and strengthening the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve Force as a whole. A new reserve unit will fulfill several tasks:
enhance the Arctic operations capacity of the CAF by specializing in northern survival skills;
provide a specialized emergency response capacity in the face of natural disasters such as wildfires, for which they would receive specialized advance training, or other emergencies;
assist in supporting other elements of the CAF, including the Canadian Rangers, in Yukon; and,
re-establish an important connection between the Canadian Armed Forces and the people of Yukon which was lost in 1968 when the previous Yukon Regiment was disbanded by the then-Liberal government.
“These initiatives to expand our Reserve Force will permit the Canadian Armed Forces to draw on the varied skillsets possessed by Canadians in the private sector who are also anxious to serve their country through service in the military,” said Prime Minister Harper. “The initiative we are proposing will restore an important connection between the people of Yukon and the Canadian Armed Forces and provide important additional military capacity in Yukon.”
“While Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair’s NDP irresponsibly proclaim their intent to end Canada’s military mission against the ISIS terrorist group, we will continue to take the steps that are required to strengthen our military and to ensure that it is positioned to respond to the real dangers that Canada faces,” said Prime Minister Harper.
“My focus is on ensuring that the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces have the resources they need to continue protecting and serving their fellow citizens effectively.”
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