- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
Military Budget: Minister Graham
The Defence Minister has commented on Sen Kenny's report on the Military budget inadequacies and his view point is expressed below:
Coverage stated that Defence Minister Bill Graham rejected a Senate report which called for more than doubling the Canadian Forces' annual budget and for increasing the number of troops to 90,000 from 60,000. According to the coverage, Mr. Graham disputed the report by Liberal Senator Colin Kenny and his defence committee which claims the Canadian military is at the "break point" and needs $30 billion a year to function properly. He reportedly said the Canadian Forces were already benefiting from an increased budget and were well equipped for overseas missions. It was noted that Mr. Graham said doubling military spending in the short term is impossible. He reportedly added that "the generals, the admirals, and all the experts" tell him the military "can only absorb so much money at one time." Coverage reported that Mr. Graham said troops are happy with recent deployments. It was noted that Mr. Graham also defended the deployment of troops to Afghanistan. Mr. Graham is quoted: "Some have described this as a peacekeeping mission, while others have characterized it as a radical departure from Canada's traditional role as peacekeepers. ... It blends many elements, including peacekeeping and combat" (Daniel Leblanc - G&M A9; Stephanie Rubec - TSun 44, OSun 14).
My comment is how long can the governments of the day continue to put the blinders on and refuse to see the obvious ? Absolutely everyone in the military will continue to do what we are trained to do and support our chain of command, with the politicians at the top, put a happy face on and keep doing the tough jobs despite the major funding problems we face everyday.
The message has to get through to the Defence Minister and the PM that we are a shell of a military that does not have the capability to do what is being asked of us due to a lack of resources. Also, what is all this nonsense about not being able to spend the cash quickly enough even if it was given to us ? Before WWII or Korea, Canadians and the military were quite capable of ramping up quickly to accomplish their aim. I believe the only thing preventing us from doing so again is a bloated civilian bureaucracy tying the soldier's hands with red tape.
The Defence Minister has commented on Sen Kenny's report on the Military budget inadequacies and his view point is expressed below:
Coverage stated that Defence Minister Bill Graham rejected a Senate report which called for more than doubling the Canadian Forces' annual budget and for increasing the number of troops to 90,000 from 60,000. According to the coverage, Mr. Graham disputed the report by Liberal Senator Colin Kenny and his defence committee which claims the Canadian military is at the "break point" and needs $30 billion a year to function properly. He reportedly said the Canadian Forces were already benefiting from an increased budget and were well equipped for overseas missions. It was noted that Mr. Graham said doubling military spending in the short term is impossible. He reportedly added that "the generals, the admirals, and all the experts" tell him the military "can only absorb so much money at one time." Coverage reported that Mr. Graham said troops are happy with recent deployments. It was noted that Mr. Graham also defended the deployment of troops to Afghanistan. Mr. Graham is quoted: "Some have described this as a peacekeeping mission, while others have characterized it as a radical departure from Canada's traditional role as peacekeepers. ... It blends many elements, including peacekeeping and combat" (Daniel Leblanc - G&M A9; Stephanie Rubec - TSun 44, OSun 14).
My comment is how long can the governments of the day continue to put the blinders on and refuse to see the obvious ? Absolutely everyone in the military will continue to do what we are trained to do and support our chain of command, with the politicians at the top, put a happy face on and keep doing the tough jobs despite the major funding problems we face everyday.
The message has to get through to the Defence Minister and the PM that we are a shell of a military that does not have the capability to do what is being asked of us due to a lack of resources. Also, what is all this nonsense about not being able to spend the cash quickly enough even if it was given to us ? Before WWII or Korea, Canadians and the military were quite capable of ramping up quickly to accomplish their aim. I believe the only thing preventing us from doing so again is a bloated civilian bureaucracy tying the soldier's hands with red tape.