The National Posts’ secondary editorial discusses the military aspect of the budget in more detail.
Yesterday’s budget will be touted by some as a “defence budget.” On Tuesday, the day before Finance Minister Ralph Goodale delivered his budget speech in the House of Commons, Liberal spin doctors fanned out around the parliamentary press gallery and spread such talking points as “the biggest investment [in the military] in two decades” and “largest commitment in a generation.” We very much hope this rhetoric is borne out, for we have long argued that the underfunding of our military is an ongoing national disgrace.
But we have our doubts: As detailed in the editorial appearing above, we are troubled by the backloading of defence spending over a five-year period. Moreover, it is already clear that a significant chunk of the $12-billion promised to the Canadian Forces is recycled spending that has been repackaged to look new.
It remains to be seen whether there will be sufficient funds to actually act on the government’s plans. For instance, the $250-million pledged for 5,000 new recruits is only half the amount military planners have said such a large number of new soldiers would cost on an annual basis.
Remember, also, that the Liberals have become skilled at selling the same rose under difference names. For instance, the upcoming defence review is said to contain a promise to buy the navy new “landing platform dock” vessels—large warships capable of carrying heavy-lift and assault helicopters. But these same ships were promised less than a year ago, too. In April, 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin said in Gagetown, N.B., that his government would buy three of the 28,000-tonne vessels by 2011. At the time, the Liberals called them “joint support ships.” But they were essentially the same craft. And no concrete steps were taken to buy them the last time they were announced.
(Voters, take note: These new big ships are the kind of helicopter carriers the Conservatives promised in the 2004 election. Then and since, the Liberals have derided the Conservative boats as “aircraft carriers,” and mocked the Tories for even thinking of requisitioning them. Now the Liberals are buying them—or at least saying they will.)
The Liberals have promised and reneged on a host of military purchases in their 12 years in power—patrol vehicles, cargo planes, tanks, helicopters, and on and on. So their promises of new military equipment must also be viewed with skepticism.
Compare that last bolded sentence to this blog entry from yesterday in which I wrote:
The Conservatives ran a campaign in June 2004 with promises including a major boost to Canada’s nearly bankrupt military (thanks to years of virtually treasonous liberal ineptitude). Conservatives’ promises included new ships, aircraft, equipment, soldiers… almost as if defending our nation was important. Can you imagine?!
Naturally the Liberals responded by mocking them in ads and in speech after speech, and denying the need for any major financial reparation to our military in these peaceful terrorist-free times; and for a military which they claimed at the time was still proud and great and merely in need of a little TLC, some more bureaucrats, and some new “Canada” logos.
Their editorial ends with this hopeful paragraph, which demonstrates a degree of wishful thinking:
More than three years have passed since the September 11 attacks. And perhaps, notwithstanding our concerns, it has finally dawned on our government that in the fight against terrorism and rogue states, even a middle power like Canada must be able to contribute something to help the United States and its more powerful allies. The defence initiatives announced yesterday are a welcome step in that direction, and the government has every reason to follow through on them.
The wishful thinking part is that we’re still a “middle power”; and that the budget announced yesterday is “a step in the right direction”. In their previous (lead) editorial, they are more forthcoming in warning that this budget could well prove to be “illusory” and that “these long-term commitments seem to belong to the realm of fiction”.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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