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| Fund Lacks hurt Canada's Military; It's not only us afterall | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 30 2005, 07:22 PM (305 Views) | |
| saver111 | Sep 30 2005, 07:22 PM Post #1 |
PDFF Moderator
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Canada's military can't meet needs TORONTO, Ontario (AP) -- Canada's military is "wounded" and the country's defense without the money to do its job properly, according to a Senate report released Thursday. The report laments the lack of resources and coordinated manpower to deal with a terrorist attack or natural disaster. "A hard, honest look at the facts has made it clear to the committee that the funding is simply not there to end Canada's sad era of military darkness," said the review of defense policy by the Senate Standing committee on National Security and Defense. The report notes that of the C$12.8 billion (US$10.9 billion) the government promised over the next five years to beef up the Canadian Forces, only C$1.1 billion ($938 million) was earmarked for the first two years. This means the rehabilitation process won't get started until 2008-2009. "Even when the process does stutter to a start, it will remain vastly underfunded, primarily because the armed forces have been starved for money for so many years," reads an executive summary by committee chairman, Liberal Party Senator Colin Kenny. The report notes Canada -- named by al Qaeda as one of five target nations deserving of an attack -- has done little since 9/11 to invest in anti-terrorism prevention. "Canada has an unenviable place on Osama bin Laden's infamous list of countries to be targeted. We may get lucky. But it's not a bet you'd want to make. "Despite the increasing complacency of most Canadians as the memory of 9/11 slips to the back of our minds, there is every likelihood that an attack will eventually occur on Canadian soil," the report said, yet noted that Canada ranks just 128th out of 165 countries in defense spending as a percentage of its gross domestic product. The committee for years has been critical of government spending and coordination when it comes to national security. A report by the same committee last December found that security along Canada's 4,000-mile (6436-kilometer) border with the United States was full of holes, threatening some C$1.4 billion ($1.2 billion) in trade between the North American neighbors. Thursday's report is the first of three; the next two in the coming weeks will focus on solutions and a future vision of the country's security. Some have accused the committee of being alarmist and ineffectual, as it comes from the politically appointed upper house of Parliament. But committee members say they spent the last year traveling to military bases across the country, met with senior Canadian and U.S. security and military officials in Ottawa, Washington and at NATO headquarters, as well as with Canadian troops in Afghanistan. They heard some 300 hours of testimony. "If there is any one message at the core of this report, it is this: You can't get there from here. Visions are worthless without proper funding, and the funding simply isn't there," Kenny said. http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/09/...e.ap/index.html
Seeing that from a well-off country, you really can't blame our AFP of not being at least at par with our neighbors. With this never ending insurgency, it just bleed our AFP dry. 
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3:03 PM Jul 13