"Action, not photo ops, needed to save our military"

December 17, 2003

Saddam Hussein’s capture late last Saturday marked both a symbolic and real shift in world affairs.  It would be a mistake to underestimate the potential impact that these changes will have upon Canada and its position in the international community. 

As we’ve already had the misfortune to witness, his capture is not a miraculous cure to end the violence in Iraq.  There is much work to be done in bringing peace to a country that has endured decades of war and oppression under a brutal regime.  However, the leadership in many countries have been prompted to re-examine the role their countries will play in the future of Iraq. 

The international disagreement over whether the United States, Great Britain, Australia and their allies should have undertaken military action in Iraq has been and continues to be bitter and fierce, but at some point all sides have to pull together and move on.  Saddam Hussein has been captured.  Iraq and its people require help to bring him to justice and to rebuild their government, their infrastructure, their society and their spirit.

I believe it only fair for me to say that Prime Minister Paul Martin is off to a good start in this regard.  He made the long overdue phone call to George Bush to congratulate the U.S. on the capture of Saddam Hussein. I was also pleased that he raised the softwood lumber issue and the beef ban.  He made another good move by visiting the Department of National Defence headquarters in Ottawa on just his fourth day in office.  Unfortunately, this moral-boosting “photo op” was overshadowed by his decision to deny any new defence spending. 

He has struck a full-blown review of foreign and defence policy, something that the Official Opposition welcomes because we’ve demanded it for years.  However, Mr. Martin should not use this review to provide himself with another excuse for doing nothing to provide the Canadian Forces with the funds they need to do their job.  As Finance Minister, Mr. Martin cut $20-billion in real culmulative dollars from national defence.  The review is needed, but in the meantime, funding is urgently required to ensure adequate equipment, personnel and training for our forces. 

Even though countless studies, including a recent one by Queen’s University and the Conference of Defence Associations, have already performed much of the research required, the foreign policy review will likely attempt to “re-invent the wheel” and is unlikely to be completed before the Fall of 2004.  Until then, Mr. Martin will not cough up money for national defence.  That means the earliest we’ll see the required funding is the budget of 2005. 

It can take several years to get through the planning and procurement processes involved in purchasing equipment.  It took this Liberal government more than ten years just to issue this week’s request for proposals (RFP) for the SeaKing replacements!  The forces won’t actually receive new helicopters for years yet. 

While currently making all the right noises, we’ll soon know if Mr. Martin intends to back up his words with action, or simply more dust-collecting studies.