I read the letter from John Thomson with great interest. Although I got the feeling that he leans towards a domestic driven military, our military already plays a major part in domestic tragedies such as fires, floods, and healthcare. However, a strong offence is also a strong defence. In the eyes of an aggressor to be neutral weakens that nation. Thanks to the rhetoric of the former US president, who regularly belittled our leaders and government and his blatant disrespect for climate change has put Canada in a very difficult position. Globally, this rhetoric has weakened our government, but particularly in the eyes of Putin.
Let me explain. Climate change has caused much of the ice cap in Canada’s north to melt, which has increased traffic through the Northwest Passage. Both Russia and the US (who believe the Northwest Passage is international waters) would like to control the passage. International agreements state that the passage is in Canadian territorial water.
During the Franklin expedition recovery, Putin flexed his muscles by planting a Russian flag claiming the passage as Russian. At the time, because it caused international problems, he dropped it. Soon he turned his aggression towards Ukraine. The threat is still there, as he wants to control the shipping lanes in the north as he did by annexing Crimea.
Even though Canada and the US are both part of NATO and NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence), we must not forget that over the years the US government has challenged Canada over control of these waters. (There is too much history to go into here, but it can be researched.)
So there we have it. Two powerful nations fighting over what is truly Canadian. As Mr. Thomson pointed out, times have changed.” Our once-robust military” (Thomson’s words) has been reduced considerably over the years. We have done our part for NATO and NORAD and even that has been reduced over the years by governments who put politics first.
As the distance from the last Great War in Europe increases, it is understandable that the younger people are much more passive than my generation. Mothers are resistant to sending their young adults off to prepare for war. (As have mothers over all generations.) We all get densensitised by the constant bombardment of news about wars and tragedies throughout the world. Passivity, (to remain friendly, to ignore the events, and not encourage our children to take part in anything military), can be visualized as a means of self-preservation.
Putin has watched this happen. He is slowly building up his military strength in the north. Right now, all the focus is on Ukraine. But what if Putin decides to escalate the war? He is already threatening Sweden and Finland. This man is a devious dictator. He might have control of the Northwest Passage on his mind. To an aggressor like Putin, neutrality is a weakness. Now is the time to build up our Canadian military and give more support to the robust men and women that serve in our armed forces. Truly, they will be the only people we can depend upon.
To repeat myself–A strong offence is literally a strong defence!
Fran Millar
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
