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Defending Sovereignty
THE ISSUE
After years of neglect by the federal Liberals, Canada does not have sufficient capacity to fulfill its regional responsibilities in British Columbia and throughout Western Canada. In British Columbia, our Pacific Navy fleet is short of resources and personnel, our regular army presence is gone in British Columbia and needs strengthening on the Prairies, and our Air Force needs more resources.
In the Navy’s 2005 ‘Impact Assessment,’ the head of Canada’s Navy cited multimillion dollar Navy funding shortfalls and stated: “I will not be able to deliver the full mandated level of maritime defence readiness and capability” and, further, that the Navy “faces the dilemma of not having enough people to meet minimum requirements and not enough, or limited resources to provide them with the necessary tools to also do their jobs fully.”1 And the government’s fleet improvement plan seeks to cut corners by combining strategic sealift and replenishment capabilities. In short, our Pacific Navy needs more personnel, resources, and a more effective fleet improvement plan.
In British Columbia the only regular Army base, CFB Chilliwack, disappeared after the 1995 federal budget, which left the province – an earthquake zone – as the only region of the country without a military land forces base. Today, CFB Chilliwack is being redeveloped.2
In 2002, the federal Liberal Defence Minister, John McCallum, said that in the event of a major crisis in Vancouver: “U.S. response teams might be in nearby Seattle while Canadian response teams could be as far away as Ontario. Obviously in this example we would want to call on the Seattle team.”3 This means the Canadian Forces do not have the capacity to respond to a major crisis in Vancouver and would need to rely on help from the United States.
Further, Canada’s air force Aurora long-range patrol aircraft assist in providing surveillance and patrol in vast areas of the Pacific. However, the Auroras’ “capacity to generate flying hours today is less than half of what it was in the early 1990s.”4 There are also urgent requirements to replace Canada’s ageing fixed wing search and rescue aircraft in British Columbia and Manitoba, and also to upgrade Canada’s fighter aircraft in Alberta.
Moreover, additional regular and reserve personnel are needed to fill out the existing Canadian Forces operational, support, and training units throughout Western Canada.
THE PLAN
The Conservative plan for national defence – “Canada First” – aims to strengthen Canada’s national sovereignty. Sovereignty means Canada must be able to fulfill national responsibilities, to provide effective emergency response and to protect our vast territory. The capabilities of the Canadian Forces must be restored in order to achieve this aim.
The Conservative “Canada First” plan will create new defence capabilities as well as expand and transform existing capabilities in every region of Canada. Today’s announcement outlines the Conservative plan for defending Canada’s sovereignty in the Pacific and throughout Western Canada.
Defending Pacific Sovereignty
A Conservative government will:
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Increase Pacific navy personnel levels. The Pacific fleet will receive 500 regular force personnel for ship crew requirements. Also, further regular force personnel will be recruited to bring existing establishments at CFB Esquimalt up to full strength.
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Improve Pacific fleet. The Pacific fleet will receive a new replenishment ship, a new transport ship and frigate and submarine upgrades. A frigate / destroyer replacement program will also be initiated.
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Restore regular army presence in British Columbia. A new rapid reaction army battalion (650 regular force personnel, air deployable) will be stationed at CFB Comox.
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Establish new air force surveillance capability. A new long range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadron (est. 100 regular force personnel) will be stationed at CFB Comox. Aurora aircraft will also be upgraded to provide continuous surveillance of the Pacific and western Arctic.
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Improve air force squadrons. Fighter aircraft upgrades will be provided at CFB Cold Lake as well as new fixed wing search and rescue aircraft at CFB Winnipeg and Comox, and new tactical airlift at CFB Winnipeg.
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Provide new territorial defence capability. New territorial defence battalions (100 regular and at least 400 reserve force personnel each) will be stationed in the areas of Vancouver, Calgary, Regina and Winnipeg for emergency response.
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Increased personnel. More regular and reserve force personnel will be provided at other CF bases in throughout the region to fill out existing operational, support and training units.
The Conservative plan for Pacific and Western sovereignty is costed within the previously announced Conservative “Canada First” defence spending plan, which will increase the National Defence budget base over currently planned levels in each of the next five years. Spending will amount to $5.3 billion above the currently planned levels over the next five years, reaching $1.8 billion above current projections in 2010-11. The cost of major capital equipment such as replenishment ships or unmanned aerial vehicles is spread over its life, so the annual budgetary amounts include only a portion of the full capital cost. As a standard departmental practice, the full cost of capital acquisitions will be provided on a cash basis in the years they are acquired.
1. Stephen Thorne, “Too little, too late?; Money in federal budget likely not enough for overstretched military,” Chronicle-Herald, April 25, 2005, pg. A3.
2. Ken MacQueen, “Ten Lost Years, Chilliwack After the Army Left,” Maclean’s, July 1, 2004, pp. 32-33.
3. John McCallum, “Speaking Notes for the Honourable John McCallum Minister of National Defence At a Joint Press Conference To Announce the Canada-US Joint Planning Group, December 9, 2002.
4. Senate Committee on National Security and Defence, “WOUNDED: Canada’s Military and the Legacy of Neglect, Our Disappearing Options for Defending the Nation Abroad and at Home,” September 2005, pg. 67.
