Today in Courtenay, British Columbia, Stephen Harper announced major defence increases for British Columbia and Western Canada under his “Canada First” defence strategy.
“Canada’s military capacity in this region has been allowed to atrophy. The capacity of the Pacific naval fleet, based at CFB Esquimalt, and our Pacific air force presence at CFB Comox, has been allowed to deteriorate. British Columbia, which is in an earthquake zone, is now the only region of the country without a regular land forces presence,” said Mr. Harper.
A number of measures were announced to secure Canada’s sovereignty on Canada’s West Coast under the “Canada First” defence strategy, including:
- Increasing Pacific navy personnel levels by about 500 regular force personnel to meet Pacific Fleet requirements and to bring CFB Esquimalt up to full strength;
- Improving the Pacific fleet by purchasing a new replenishment ship and a new transport ship, upgrading existing frigates and submarines, and initiating a longer term frigate/destroyer replacement program;
- Restoring a regular army presence in British Columbia with a new rapid reaction army battalion of 650 regular force personnel, which will be air deployable, to be stationed at CFB Comox;
- Establishing new air force surveillance capability with a new long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadron with about 100 personnel to be stationed at CFB Comox, in addition to upgrading Aurora surveillance aircraft;
- Improving air force squadrons at CFB Comox and throughout the West by deploying new fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft at CFB Comox and CFB Winnipeg, and upgrading fighter aircraft at CFB Cold Lake, and;
- Providing new territorial batallions with 100 regular and at least 400 reserve force personnel each, to be prepared to respond to emergencies in Canada’s major urban areas, with battalions in the West to be stationed in the areas of Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, and Winnipeg.
Mr. Harper also pressed the Liberal government for answers about the American submarine USS Charlotte’s passage through Canadian territorial waters.
“By all evidence, the Liberal government was not aware of this voyage,” said Mr. Harper. “The Canadian Government did not grant permission for it to occur. But they seem to have done nothing to protest this violation of sovereignty to the United States, and they have done nothing to improve Canada’s ability to respond to these kinds of violations in the future. If the Government of Canada cannot even be forthcoming about what it knew and when, then it is in no position to protect our Arctic sovereignty.”
Canada needs to be able to preserve and protect our sovereignty and to respond to any emergency within our borders. Only the Conservatives will stand up for Canadian sovereignty on the West Coast, stand up for our armed forces and stand up for Canada.
