Immediate military purchasing ideas for Justin Trudeau.

OUTREMONT – Once again, a Canadian government of Liberal allegiance and, moreover, led by Trudeau, promises to devote 2% of GDP to defense.

Should we believe it?

The years in power of the Liberals since 1968 allow us to doubt this.

You only have to go back to the end of the 1970s to realize how painful it was for the Liberal government of Pierre-Elliot Trudeau, father of Justin Trudeau, to replace the old Lockheed F-104 Starfighters of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Ottawa finally ordered in 1980, more than three years after the launch of the call for tenders for 132 McDonnell Douglas F-18A/B Hornets delivered between 1982 and 1986.

The replacement by the Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone of the ancient Sikorsky CH-124 (SH-3 in the US Navy) Sea King was another saga worthy of the Liberals.

The only time in recent Canadian history when issues of military acquisition did not drag on was during the years in power of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

In record time, Canada ordered and received the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules and Boeing CH-47 Chinook on time and on budget.

The Harper government unfortunately did not have time to conclude the purchase of the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II before the Liberals returned to power, led by the other's son, Justin Trudeau.

It will take the new regime eight years before finally ordering, in January 2023, the plane it had sworn never to buy, the F-35A.

Because let us remember that the Harper government had greatly advanced the issue of acquiring the F-35A before its defeat in the October 2015 elections.

So should we believe Justin Trudeau's 2% promises? No more than that of his father, forty years ago.

Because 2% of GDP allocated to defense in the current global context is really minimal, if not starving. Setting the deadline for achieving the objective in 2032 is ridiculous, not to mention insulting. These are the same kind of bogus promises as his for the benefit of the environment for 2050.

But Justin Trudeau will make all kinds of pirouettes and promises in order to evade the demands of the 2%, such as meeting the leaders of Congress in Washington and governors of influential American states.

His promises to purchase submarines and icebreakers are also ridiculous and seem to be nothing more than subsidies to Canadian shipyards which essentially only live off contracts from Ottawa.

In the immediate future, if Justin Trudeau and his government are sincere and serious, they can quickly make two important acquisitions.

As a first step to ensure the training of future RCAF F-35A pilots, Ottawa should acquire Boeing T-7A Red Hawks supersonic training aircraft.

 

Then, as a second step, in order to ensure the integrity of the sky, sea and land in the Far North, they should order a fleet of 'Airborne Early Warning & Control' aircraft as quickly as possible. Boeing E-7A Wedgetail.

This would be a gesture of goodwill on the part of a government that has not kept its word for so long on defense matters.

Washington must closely monitor Canada to ensure that it respects this minimum commitment.

In addition, with a significant annual trade surplus with the United States, after year after year for too long, Canada must equip itself massively with Washington.

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