“Failing to plan is planning to fail” – we have all heard of this old saw, probably when we have scrambled to resolve something at the last minute, giving it very little forethought. It happens, as most of us are like Aesop’s grasshopper from time to time, enjoying the summer’s heat, choosing to forget about the looming winter. Besides, that is what the role of our modern government is for: to look out for our future. But is it doing so, or has it too become complacent?
Placing the ill thought out, ideologically-driven crime policies aside, the Harper government has dropped a bombshell or two upon the electorate recently, namely with the OAS changes and the F-35 fiasco. Both show of past governments that have failed to be forward looking. The OAS issue is interesting as it was sprung upon us, but there is logic in the government’s scenario of an aging population. Besides, we should be responsible for planning our own futures. But when it comes to defence – the idea of protecting Canadians – this is central to the social contract of government and its citizens. So what are they planning?
In short, our military does have to be rebuilt. Not because we do not have excellent men and women serving in our armed forces, but because it has faced neglect over the last five decades as subsequent governments – Conservatives and Liberals alike – have cut its funding. At the end of the Second World War, Canada had the fifth-largest standing military in the world. But through our pursuits of peacekeeping, and a change in the social perspectives within Canada during the ’70s, it was easy to see why our military strength receded.
The end of the Cold War brought its own problems, but our military, along with Canadians, found a new role within NATO. Although Canada itself struggled with this identity change, showing off a more aggressive side of our country’s character, our military demonstrated that we were very capable of such endeavours, though it was obvious how under-funded it had become. But is this to be our future? Are we to become a state that foists our interests, and those of certain NATO allies, on the globe? If so, then buying the F-35 makes sense, whatever the cost. If not, then we need another plan.
What many do not know is that NATO’s own future is in question, as most members of this alliance are not participating in these ventures. The U.S. itself is pulling back while most of our European allies are looking inward to their own problems (thankfully these are not military ones). This month NATO may have to redefine its own role in the world, doing less with less.
So why is Canada developing a strategy that seems to be looking backwards to the recent past, and not looking pragmatically forward? Is it not our military’s paramount role to defend our own territories first? If this is the case then the F-35 is ill equipped to do that, as it was shown to be incapable of operating in our Arctic. We need, therefore, another strategy. We cannot ignore our potential roles on the world stage, so some F-35s may be needed, but the primary role of our military is to protect Canada’s shores. So if our government fails to plan for this purpose now, it could constitute an emergency on our part in the future. And that is a fiasco we just cannot afford.
