(The following article is from the June 1-15, 2008, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

People's Voice Editorial, June 1-15, 2008

 The Canadian Forces are slated to spend between $45 billion and $50 billion on equipment between now and 2028, says Lt.-Gen. Walter Natynczyk, the vice-chief of defence staff. On May 12, during a news conference on the Canada First Defence Strategy in Halifax, PM Stephen Harper and Defence Minister Peter MacKay presented $30 billion as the "total investments we're making in the military in the next generation". That $30 billion, however, is just the Department of National Defence (DND) budget projection for 2028, based on a 2 per cent annual increase that starts in 2011.

     "What we're going to invest between now and (2028), and further on beyond that, is that $45 billion to $50 billion," a senior military official explained. "These are two different numbers. They mean two different things."

     The Tory minority government's long-range plans include a schedule for the purchase of new fighter jets (2017), destroyers (2017) and frigates (2024), with new ships eating up more than half of the equipment budget. At the same time, the military appears to be scaling back its commitment to coastal patrols and search-and-rescue operations. The shift is clearly towards an expanded Canadian role in the global strategy of U.S. imperialism. The Tory focus is on increasing the ability of the Canadian armed forces to take part in offensive wars around the world rather then protection of Canada's borders and citizens.

     The price tag for sending Canadians to kill and die around the world in the service of the big oil and resource monopolies is enormous. More war toys for the Armed Forces means fewer social services, less spending on decaying infrastructure, insufficient resources to respond to natural disasters, and higher unemployment. This is certainly one of the main reasons to vote the Harper Tories out of office at the first opportunity.