Liberalism in Canada has NOT been good for the military or the most vulnerable at home or overseas. The liberal media may wish to turn a blind eye and the rewrite history of the previous Liberal administrations. Some of us understand the importance of presenting information from more sources and letting the reader make their own choices.
Governments must make priorities and those choices have consequences.
Michael Ignatieff visited Trinity College, Ireland in 2005 delivered a honest speech about American exceptionalism and the failures of Liberalism. He overlooked and made some factual mistakes about our peacekeeping role but his speech should be revisited and discussed. He was critical of the role of Canada and how we traded away our capabilities and chose to build a socialist welfare state instead of paying the bill and being a responsible international citizen. A Youtube clip is available the bottom of the post that covers his audio.
Correction: Ignatieff assertion about trading on our Bogus reputation for 40 years as a peacekeeper.As a blogger my bias is clear and my links are open for scrutiny.
The Liberals were NOT prepared to walk the talk when it came to our role in NATO or rapid disaster relief. Canada was a joke if our delegation would excuse themselves to use the washroom when donations were being sought.
Today, Canada led by a Conservative government is no longer the butt of jokes for their lack of rapid response on the global scene in humanitarian aid. Our Canadian Government has increased foreign aid eight per cent on an annual basis and reached the five billion per year ahead of plan in spite of the Global recession. Conservative led Federal Government did NOT cut foreign aid unlike the Liberals led by Chretien-Martin during their reign. They made choices and the poorest and most vulnerable were NOT asked to pay for mismanagement of government policies in Canada.
Actions define Conservatives, while the Liberals prefer to hold meetings and discussions on how appear as the rightful party of power.
The Canadian Forces presently possess some strategic airlift capacity in a fleet of five CC-150 Polaris aircraft (A310-300 Airbus), which have the capability of traveling long distances without refueling. However, these aircraft are limited as strategic transporters by their inability to transport outsize equipment1 and a lack of defensive tools, which makes them easy targets in volatile areas. Moreover, one of these aircraft was converted to a VIP transporter in the early 1990s, and it was recently announced that two others would be converted to strategic air-to-air refueling aircraft.
(Liberals bought air-taxis and an Air-limo) Choice Real Money for Real Strategic Lift capability: Denied by Liberals.
On January 13, 2009, Ralph Goodale politicizes the Earth-quake in Haiti about the twenty-four hour response capabilities of D.A.R.T.. He further alleges our response is hampered because it is tied to parliament being prorogued which is destroying the functioning of democracy in Canada. (You can't make this stuff up) If Ralph had spent a few minutes making a few phone calls instead of appearing on CBC to politicize the earth quake, criticize our government he would have been realized this Conservative led government had already made the necessary decisions and D.A.R.T. was already in the air. Even the CBC were aware of the quick response time.
On December 26, 2004 Liberalism failed the Tsumani victims as our first responders took a week to arrive via a rented plane from Russia. How many more lives could have been saved if Canada had their own strategic lift capabilities?
Prime Minster Paul Martin announced Jan. 2, 2005, that DART would be sent to Sri Lanka. The Canadian government was criticized at the time for its decision to send DART to Sri Lanka rather than to a more severely affected area, such as Indonesia, and for its perceived slow response to the crisis.
Why did the Canadian liberal media turn a blind eye to the choices by the Liberals to purchase air taxis and an airline limo for V.I.Ps?
Are Liberals playing blame games or busy prioritizing something else regarding the military?
The US C-17 aircraft, the second largest carrier with a payload of 77 tons, is the most expensive of the three options being considered and would cost over US$250-million each to purchase and approximately US$45-million per plane, per year to lease - a price that would include training and maintenance costs. The extraordinary cost of this aircraft, which the Air Force had determined was the best fit for the CF in 2000, led then-Defence Minister McCallum to announce in 2003 that the CF would not be purchasing strategic lift aircraft.
Of the five Polaris aircraft flown by the squadron, four are configured as normal airliners, carrying 194 passengers at a top speed of 460 knots. Any one of these is, by choice, used by the prime minister and other members of the government. However, the remaining aircraft, No. 001, is configured as a VIP transport, and is used for the Queen and other high dignitaries. It has a spartan bedroom, sitting room, office space and a shower about the size of a small phone booth. It is not, by any means, a luxurious flying "Taj Mahal" as someone once dubbed it.
"It's no more luxurious than a good motor home", says Captain Yvan Veillette, the squadron's information officer. "It is very comfortable, and allows the VIP to relax, have a good sleep and arrive not only feeling good, but looking good".
The executive suite includes a satellite telephone, two computer work stations and a small refrigerator such as might be found in a mid-class hotel. The rear portion of the aircraft is a normal passenger cabin, which can be used to carry regular military passengers, members of the VIP party, or reporters.
http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/flight.htm
Liberalism in Canada is being rewritten by many apologists for the Liberal Party but the facts remain without the Conservative actions and response to prioritize the military, humanitarian spending Canada would have remained the butt of jokes on the international scene.
Michael Ignatieff in Ireland in 2005 made a very compelling and honest speech about the choices of European and Canadian Governments after the WWII. The US, Britain made the hard choices and bore the brunt of keeping military defense spending up to remain capable of delivering humanitarian aid and being capable of stopping genocide. Liberalism is Europe and Canada failed to make the hard choices to be a global responsible citizen instead they chose to build roads and hospitals.
Today, Canadians are delivering on their promises being the robust international citizen in the Global village. We are now starting to pay the bills instead of bitching about our American neighbours to the south.
The Liberals and the Liberal media may not be proud of the priorities and tough choices made by this Conservative government. The thousands of victims saved as a result of those decisions to own their strategic lift capabilities has paid off.While Liberals talk, Conservatives act. That is a big difference to be proud of.
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