John Thomson: Do we have a military without a mission?
If Carney can't stand firm on foreign policy, can we trust that billions in CAF funding won't be wasted?
Just days after Prime Minister Carney’s government endorsed United States-Israeli strikes on Iran to halt its nuclear programme, he reversed course in Australia, deeming them “inconsistent with international law”. If Canada can’t stand firm on a single statement, how can we trust that billions in Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) modernisation won’t be squandered on shifting sands?
Since taking office, Prime Minister Mark Carney and his government have demonstrated that they are serious about wanting to rebuild the CAF. It’s been self-evident given the frequency with which national defence has featured in their policy and spending announcements. It’s a refreshing change from the neglect of past governments, and they deserve to be commended in that regard.
But to paraphrase Lyle Lanley, the Monorail salesman from The Simpsons: “you know, a country with a military, but an incoherent foreign policy, is a little like a mule with a spinning wheel. No one knows why they modernised it, and danged if they know what to do with it.”
According to Mark Carney’s speech at Davos in January, “our old, comfortable assumption that our geography and alliance memberships automatically conferred prosperity and security is no longer valid.”
If that supposition is correct, Canadians deserve to know what that new reality looks like from a military and foreign policy standpoint, especially if, as he says, “the old order is not coming back.”
There are many unanswered strategic questions: