By Mike Nickerson
What’s the first rule in fishing? No it’s not packing a case of beer, though that is important. No sir, the first rule of fishing is to never let up tension on the line. Once that fish is hooked, you reel that line in like your life depends on it! Well that might be a little hyperbolic but you get the idea. The key is to never give up because that fish might spit the hook out and go its merry way. No, if you want more than beer for dinner, then don’t let that fish off that hook!
Now not knowing which political fish Canadians actually managed to hook this election matters not a whit when it comes to my mid-April prognosticating. Because whether it’s the Liberals or the Conservatives, they both have been putting forward some whopper ideas for Canada’s military. That means some mighty fine eating is on the way…politically speaking of course. Don’t actually eat members of parliament. Bad form that; and way too many bones.
Whether you are feeling Canada Strong, or you’re happy we elected someone who puts Canada First for a change, we’ll have a new government that has made substantive military proposals. For while the Liberal and Conservative platforms could not be more different in specifics, overall they both stress that the time is now to finally step up and invest in our military. They both reflect a growing unease Canadians have with Donald Trump and the United States.
And regardless of who actually won, they both put forward some rather good ideas. The Liberals touted an “unprecedented acceleration in our armed forces” with the sort of zeal that might make one dare to believe it might happen. Expect ship building, icebreaker production, submarine purchases, made-in-Canada drone development, wage hikes for military members, a focus on new military alliances and procurement outside of our good old U.S. of A. comfort zone and the like.
Or perhaps Canadians chose door number two: a new military base in Iqaluit, armed icebreakers, 2000 more Arctic rangers, and a revamp of Veterans Affairs to cut wait times for benefit claims. And much like their Liberal rivals, a promise to spend like there’s no tomorrow (with Trump involved, it just might be), meeting our NATO spending targets sooner than later, and a general sentiment that we need to buy Canadian where possible, and invest and develop the Canadian defence industry when it isn’t.
So with all the turmoil of Trump, the annexation threats, tariff threats, pulling out of NATO threats, and generally just threats from a tweaked out, scatterbrained man child, the Canadian populace has become more focused on all things military than it’s arguably been since the Second World War. Somewhat more of a surprise, given the party proposals this election, is that our federal leaders have actually taken notice.
Unfortunately it’s at about this point that Canadians usually let their government off the hook. Election is over, back to our regular lives, roll your eyes while around the watercooler that the government is backsliding on its promises. It’s a time-honoured tradition in this country, and quite frankly it’s why nothing ever gets done; we let it happen.
Now I’m not suggesting Canadians take the nuclear option with public protest like some did during the pandemic, if for no other reason than the man who approves my paycheque lives in Ottawa and had his fill of truckers honking their air horns the first time around. But the threats bandied about in this election are real, both to our sovereignty and security. And the government (regardless who won) needs to act with the vigour and haste that was promised or else we are in real trouble.
In short, don’t let up on the government and its military commitments. Too many times we’ve let governments off the hook and now face the inevitable result of that lapse in effort. So when you start seeing signs of backpedaling or the inevitable excuses and rationales governments are prone to then by God pull on that line! It’s that or be stuck with a case of warm beer while toasting the Fourth of July.
