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Path: utzoo!utcs!pkern
From: pkern@utcs.UUCP (pkern)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: Canada's defence : Doesn't anyone care?
Message-ID: <840@utcs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 21-Aug-85 16:10:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcs.840
Posted: Wed Aug 21 16:10:19 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 21-Aug-85 17:30:24 EDT
References: <833@utcs.UUCP> <835@utcs.UUCP> <5886@utzoo.UUCP>
Reply-To: pkern@utcs.UUCP (pkern)
Organization: University of Toronto - General Purpose UNIX
Lines: 46
Summary: 

>> It seems to me that defence-wise we don't seem to get a good return
>> on the tax dollar spent on the CF-18.
>
>This is unfortunately true, but cancelling the CF-18 buy is not the way
>to solve it.  The way to solve it would have been to buy more and better
>fighters ten years ago; if you think inflation has been bad for consumers,
>check out jet-fighter prices!

It's too bad that you can't trade fighters in for something cheaper and get a
refund for the difference. From what I've seen on "60 minutes" and from what's
been printed in the papers, the F-20 is supposed to be a relatively inexpensive
fighter with low maintenance costs. But that's another topic altogether.

>
>The fact is, our armed forces pure and simple need more money.
>-- 
	... and they need to spend it wisely.

What Peter Newman points out in "True North, not strong and free" is that 
Canada's defence capabilities have gone down the drain. If we seriously tried
to meet all our NATO commitments there wouldn't be anyone left to "guard
the fort". This situation came afrom a combination of public apathy and gov't
neglect. Mr. Newman says that being "friends" with the US has given the 
Canadian public a false sense of security that in times of trouble, the US
will come scrambling to our aid. Hence the apathy about our own forces.

I think that the purchase of the CF-18's was a step in the right direction
but they made such a big step that they ripped their pants
 (or something like that ...)
But the CAF isn't the only branch which needs help. We haven't enough ships
to patrol our own coastlines, let alone patrol 200-miles beyond that.

It was mentioned in the book that during WW II, a german u-boat party landed 
on the Labrador coast to put up a weather station. The Canadian forces didn't
find out about this until 1981 when one of the original members	of the u-boat
party contacted the authorities to find out what had happened to the station
after the war. (!!!!)
It's really sad when something like that on our coast can go unnoticed for
at least THIRTY-FIVE YEARS! .


Paul Kern
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