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Goal achieved from a bit of smoke and mirrors:
"The benchmark was partly achieved by an internal reorganization of the federal government, which has seen some agencies, such as the Canadian Coast Guard, moved under the auspices of the Defence Department and therefore counted toward the NATO target. It was also achieved through a substantial pay raise for members of the military and by pouring money into base infrastructure and overhaul."
It was also achieved through a substantial pay raise for members of the military and by pouring money into base infrastructure and overhaul."
None of those are bad things (many are long overdue), and they are also largely spending within the Canadian economy, so that is a benefit as well.
I agree with your statement, but at the same time it also doesn't increase our military capabilities.
I mean to be fair, other countries, including the US, consider their coast guards to be part of their militaries. This doesn't seem deceptive to me. As for money spent on bases and pay raises, that seems like it should count.
My boy's wicked smaht
It looks like the new target is 5%
More like 3% and another 2% is for infrastructure. You only need to pretend that that infrastructure is really badly needed for defense, which is rather easy for a lot of it. Like say those are not metro stations, they are bunkers....
Metro stations are defense infrastructure even if they aren't bunkers. Public transit directly achieves Baseline Resilience Requirements 2 & 7. It indirectly achieves others.
NATO'S 7 baseline resilience requirements: https://www.cimic-coe.org/handbook-entries/welcome-to-the-cimic-handbook/vii-resilience/7-2-seven-baseline-requirements/
A lot of countries have used Subways as bomb shelters I know.
They sure do, I'm just trying to demonstrate that public transit infrastructure still matters. Even if it's an above ground system.
We need a lot more of it. Interstate/interprovince freight and passenger rail, publicly owned. It would pay for itself.
Infrastructure = logistics = defense. Plenty of roads that need building in the north if we wanna be able to maintain a solid presence.
The expansion of the port of Churchill and land transport links to it could even be considered part of that millitary logistics pipeline (as well as increasing our export capacity).
At one point we had a rocket launching facility there as well
Northern roads are a tricky thing. Permafrost contains a lot of frost.
They'll probably have to be gravel and maintained regularly.
Some modern subway stations in North America are so ridiculously deep, perhaps we could call them bomb shelters...
Ukraine has been using subway stations as bunkers for the entire war.
2% is quite a lot. 5% is madness. I hope that the costs of it start to become apparent to everyone and they reverse course well before they go that far.
I mean, not in relative terms, and in absolute terms 0.01% is still quite a lot of money but won't defend anything.
Roadways are defence infrastructure.
Water is defence infrastructure.
Power is defence infrastructure.
Resilient rail is definitely defence infrastructure.
It's very easy to get that other 3% -- and actually get sovereign rail from coast to coast to coast at the same time, which we'd never get if it wasn't a defence project.
Do you like speaking russian?
Do you like living in 1956?
So you must be worried about the Americans, then. /s
I suspect speaking American is a more proximate threat...
Have a look at a globe.
Mine has a huge block of ice on the top.
Exactly. There's literally nothing other than sea ice and open water. Well, much less ice now than there used to be.
All that separates Canada from Russia in the Arctic is either open water or sea ice. And this is very different than the Atlantic/Pacific being open water. The Arctic has sparse marine traffic and much is less monitored. Once the ice melts sufficiently, the Northwest Passage will open which will change everything.
I feel a lot of people look at maps, see Russia on the far right and Canada on the far left and think, "Well they're really far away".
Sure, Canada is adjacent to Russian, French and Danish territory as well as American.
But only one is a realistic threat: 2 are allies, one is stuck in a quagmire war that is obliterating their military capability aaaaand one is regularly threatening to invade or annex via a coup.
When fascists tell you who they are and what they plan to do it is usually a good idea to listen. Mango Mussolini loves to compensate for his tiny penis by killing people.
Oh, and it is VERY patronising to assume someone on THIS sub doesnt know the basic geography of Canada and was too stupid to know where Russia is in relation to it. Seriously ?
Sure, Canada is adjacent to Russian, French and Danish territory as well as American.
Thanks tips.
But only one is a realistic threat: 2 are allies, one is stuck in a quagmire war that is obliterating their military capability aaaaand one is regularly threatening to invade or annex via a coup.
Nonsense. The TACO Don and his minions know they cannot expect to control a country the size of Canada. You appear to understand the basics so it's curious why you think the US is a greater invasion threat to Canada than Russia. Russia is desperate and arrogant. America is just arrogant.
When fascists tell you who they are and what they plan to do it is usually a good idea to listen. Mango Mussolini loves to compensate for his tiny penis by killing people.
Thanks again Tips. I have many relatives that died in the world wars or were terribly injured. I know what fascism is kid. But Canada isn't Poland and the US isn't Nazi Germany. The US was largely built by Nazi Germany after WW2, sure. But they are nowhere near the intellect of the Germans.
The only way Canada falls to the US is if they get help. And Russia would be the help.
Oh, and it is VERY patronising to assume someone on THIS sub doesnt know the basic geography of Canada and was too stupid to know where Russia is in relation to it. Seriously ?
It was meant to be patronizing. Yes is the answer to your question. I DO NOT think many people in this ~~sub~~ com know the basic geography of Canada. I think this is a reactionary sub where people make statements to spread their own personal fears rather than talk about facts. Personal propaganda if you will.
Have you met people on the internet before? Have you not engaged with the viral stupidity of those who post most often on these platforms? First day?
Honestly, I was going to make an edit to my original comment to say it wasn't meant to be snarky, and I was going to post an image of the "proximity" you mentioned. But I figured it would be a waste of time; like this reply. I believe I was right in that assumption.
Edit: I do love your username. Douglas Adams is the one true god.