Old Volvos for our army, that’s enough!

You can pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming: the Trudeau government has finally confirmed that it will renew Canada’s fighter jet fleet.

The contract is signed. Lockheed Martin will deliver 88 F-35s to us over the next few years.

Defense Minister Anita Anand said the new planes would allow Canada to “meet its obligations” at home and abroad. True…but not completely.

Because Ottawa has grossly neglected the Canadian defense for too many years. And the catch-up is not over.

A very concrete example of the impact of our underinvestment: concerns about the threat posed by Russia to the Arctic.

The head of the office The Press in Ottawa, Joël-Denis Bellavance, revealed on Wednesday that the prime ministers of the three Canadian territories had written to Justin Trudeau on this subject last year.

We certainly wouldn’t care so much about the state of our military if the geopolitical tectonic plates hadn’t shifted, that’s for sure.

But the world has changed in the space of a few years. While Russia is at war with Ukraine, China is flexing its muscles. The risks of further slippages have increased.

Something to wake up the most carefree Western democracies. Including ours.

Of course, everyone understands that Canada cannot do much, militarily, on its own.

Its security rests on its alliances.

But in this context, proving our military seriousness to our allies is fundamental. In fact, they’ve been asking for it for years.

We will not list here all the needs of the Canadian army in terms of equipment or personnel. The space allocated to this editorial would not suffice as an exhaustive list would be long. But it is useful, in the circumstances, to shine our spotlight on the defense of the Arctic. It’s colder than anywhere else in the country, but it’s one of the hottest topics for Ottawa.

The strategic importance of the region is increasing, especially due to climate change – melting ice is making the Arctic more accessible. And what is at stake is both Canada’s security and sovereignty.

A report by the Auditor General published at the end of 2022 demonstrated this. And this document, let’s face it, reads like a dunce’s newsletter.

Among the findings, let us highlight:

• Actions taken by federal organizations have failed to address long-standing deficiencies in monitoring Arctic waters.
• Icebreakers are reaching the end of their useful life.
• Patrol aircraft are reaching the end of their useful life.

Also highlighted are “weaknesses in satellite surveillance capabilities” and “delays in supplying offshore and Arctic patrol vessels”.

Happy portrait! We can imagine Vladimir Putin’s advisers shivering with pleasure when they read it.

Our luck is to benefit from the support of our American neighbour.

It should be noted here that the defense of the Arctic is done in particular through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), an American-Canadian organization whose operations center is in Colorado.

But the Americans, for years, have tried by all means to make us understand that we are not assuming our responsibilities.

They are no longer the only ones to deplore it.

Last fall, the new French ambassador to Ottawa, Michel Miraillet, said in an interview with National Post that now NORAD “looks like an old Volvo 240”. He lamented the fact that Canada neglects its defense and now relies too much on the United States.

In Ottawa, we have already promised that we would do more than buy F-35s. Last summer, Minister Anita Anand announced an injection of $38.6 billion over 20 years to modernize NORAD, including upgrading the radars that form the North Warning System.

The Auditor General’s report has also certainly stirred the blood of federal elected officials and civil servants.

But will it be enough to push them to raise the bar quickly?

For example: to renew the fleet of patrol aircraft (which we could also compare to old Volvos) and to take care of the fate of our icebreakers with more eagerness than we could our CF-18s?

As it is common knowledge that Ottawa is struggling to fulfill its promises with regard to the purchase of military equipment, you will allow us to exercise a healthy skepticism. And with an insistence that is all but misplaced to once again urge Canada to strengthen its military capabilities with greater diligence.

Because in today’s world, relying on old Volvos to deter enemies and defend yourself is bad strategy.