(Ottawa) The Chief of the National Defense Staff says the Canadian Armed Forces are too often called upon as a first resort when it comes to responding to natural disasters – like post-tropical storms.
Updated yesterday at 6:20 p.m.
Testifying before a parliamentary committee on Thursday, General Wayne Eyre said all levels of government need to build response capacity at the municipal and provincial levels.
“With the increasing frequency and intensity of these natural disasters, we are increasingly called upon to respond not necessarily as a force of last resort, but in some cases as a first choice,” he said.
Chief of Staff made comments as hundreds of troops are on the ground in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador helping communities after the passage of post-tropical storm Fiona, at the end of September.
Federal, provincial and municipal governments were again urged to better plan and prepare for natural disasters as they become larger and more frequent.
The director of the Canadian Red Cross, Conrad Sauvé, this week called on governments to reduce their dependence on the military by creating a civilian intervention force – what some call a “main -of humanitarian work” – ready to intervene in the event of disasters and other emergencies.
General Eyre has previously expressed concern that the country’s reliance on the military for national situations is negatively affecting the military’s ability to train and prepare for other missions, including the defense of Canada against a potential attack.
These growing demands for support also coincide with a severe shortage of military personnel, which prompted General Eyre on Thursday to issue a sweeping order to senior commanders to end all non-essential activities, in favor of increased recruitment and retention of staff.
The Chief of Staff said a civilian disaster response organization would need many of the capabilities the military offers, including an organized manpower pool and the ability to deploy.
“That’s the real value of what we’re offering,” he told the committee. And any similar organization, any additional organization should provide the same capability or type of attributes. »
However, he acknowledged that the Armed Forces will always have to be ready to respond to requests for assistance at home, because their main task is to protect Canadians.
“Given the magnitude of the disasters we face, we must always be that force of last resort,” he said. The Canadian Armed Forces must still be there as the ultimate insurance policy for this country if there is not enough capacity. »
Elsewhere in the world
The chief of staff was appearing before the Commons committee to discuss the threat posed by Russia, during which he painted a grim picture of the security situation around the world because of Moscow and China.
“Russia and China are not just looking at regime survival, but regime expansion,” he said. They see themselves as at war with the West. »
He added that the greatest threat to these two governments comes from their own populations, and that these governments are trying to undermine liberal democracies and the credibility of Western institutions “to ensure that our model of government is seen as a failure”. .
General Eyre later said that the rules-based international order, which has maintained relative peace and security since the end of World War II, “is weakening” and must “be defended”. “.
“The gravity of our times should be obvious to everyone,” he said.