Peter Worthington has a good article–I know, I too can’t believe that I’m putting “Peter Worthington” and “good article” in the same sentence–on how the Harper government is undermining civilian oversight of the military.

A funny thing happened on the Canadian military’s way to be more accountable to the public and Parliament — civilians have been replaced by serving or retired military officers.

Retired Col. Michel Drapeau, Canada’s reigning (only?) expert on military law, is uneasy at the demise of civilian involvement in oversight organizations put in place after the abortive Somalia commission 12 years ago…

The three oversight bodies have no power over the military except to reach findings and make recommendations. By militarizing these institutions, the “appearance” of independence and impartiality is gone.

After campaigning on a promise of more transparency and accountability in government Harper has done nothing but undermine transparency and accountability at every opportunity.

See if you can tell which of these two countries is living in the cold war past.

Russia:

The Voice of America is reporting that Russia has agreed to new ways to cooperate with the United States on Afghanistan.

More from VOA: “The agreement gives the United States the right to fly over Russian territory as it transports military equipment and personnel to support American and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Canada:

Defence Minister Peter MacKay says the Canadian government is closely watching Russian plans to drop paratroopers in the Arctic next April.

“Any country that is approaching Canadian airspace, Canadian territory, will be met by Canadians,” MacKay said Friday in Halifax after an announcement on an international security conference planned for November.

MacKay didn’t give any specifics on what Canada will do in April but he said Canada is prepared to protect its borders.

Great, so it looks like Harper’s chest beating on Arctic sovereignty has kickstarted a new cold war.

With Denmark becoming the latest nation to reveal major plans to sharpen its Arctic military capabilities, a global buildup in the tools of northern warfare has experts concerned about an increased risk of conflict.

“The question is whether these moves, which are built on a kind of mistrust and a worry about one’s own possession, might accumulate in a way that could bring on a more conflicted Arctic,” says author and retired University of Toronto professor Franklyn Griffiths…

Russia has announced its intent to create an Arctic special forces unit. It has also embarked on an ambitious icebreaker program, has promised to modernize its northern fleet and has sent long-range bombers to the airspace boundaries of several Arctic countries.

Last year, Norway chose to buy 48 Lockheed F-35 fighter jets partly because of their suitability for Arctic patrols. In March, that country held a major Arctic military practice involving 7,000 soldiers from 13 countries in which a fictional country called Northland seized offshore oil rigs.

The manoeuvres prompted a protest from Russia — which objected again in June after Sweden held its largest northern military exercise since the end of the Second World War. About 12,000 troops, 50 aircraft and several warships were involved.

Smooth move, putz.

Me two years ago.

You’ll see that this tank is a waste of taxpayer dollars that will not help us in Afghanistan and once we’re out of Afghanistan will only become a $650 million rusted monument to the outdated cold war thinking that still holds sway over our military.

Reality today.

Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, Chief of the Land Staff, said he can not explain why he is still waiting for the badly needed tanks. “Quite frankly, it’s taking an awfully long time,” Gen. Leslie told the Senate committee on national security and defence. “They bought 100 Leopard 2s. Forty are still in Europe and 40 are currently in Montreal and they’ve been in Montreal since I believe November of last year. And I do not yet have my hands on those Leopard 2s with which to train our soldiers.”

These tanks are only going to see action if Rick Mercer decides to take one out for a test drive again.

More on Steve’s tank boondoggle and from Impolitical.

While everyone was busy howling over the affairs of student councils out in the real world our government was quietly announcing another troop escalation in Afghanistan.

The Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, today announced that eight CH-146 Griffon helicopters will be deployed to Afghanistan in early 2009 as part of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTFA) – Air Wing.

As David Pugliese points out, those would be the same CH-146 Griffon helicopters that the CAF said couldn’t operate in Afghanistan’s heat and high altitude.

Update: More from the CBC.

As many as 250 more Canadian troops will be sent to Afghanistan to maintain and fly the Griffons.

The new Canadian Victoria Cross.

Take a good look, right whingers, because this is the only way any of you chickenhawks will ever see one of these.

Then;

“Increasing the strength of the Canadian Forces to at least 75,000 regular force personnel is a clear priority. We will also intend to increase the reserve force by 10,000.”

Now;

The plan will also seek to boost the strength of the regular Forces from 65,000 to 70,000 and the reserves from 24,000 to 30,000.

Do you remember when taxpayer funded lobby groups were bad? They were so bad in fact that the Harper government changed the rules of the SWC to prevent the government from “lobbying itself”.

On September 25, 2006, the federal government announced a 5 million dollar (40%) cut to SWC’s administrative budget.

On October 3rd, they removed the very word “equality” from SWC’s mandate and changed the rules so that women’s groups cannot use federal funding to do advocacy or lobbying.

Well it seems that not all taxpayer funded lobby groups are created equal.

The CDA [Conference of Defense Associations] gets $100,000 a year from the Department of National Defence expressly for advocating on military matters.

Here’s what the CDA has to say about itself.

The CDA is the oldest and influential advocacy group in Canada’s defence community, representing thirty one associations from all parts of the country. The CDA expresses its ideas and opinions with a view to influencing government security and defence policy.

And here are some instances that refer to the CDA as a lobby group.

the Conference of Defence Associations, a lobbying group

the Conference of Defence Associations, a pro-military lobby group.

Clearly the CDA is a taxpayer funded lobbying group. So why is it okay for the military industrial complex to lobby the government with our tax dollars but not okay for women to do the same?

Putting boots on the ground in Afghanistan is becoming increasingly difficult.

As chief of the land staff, it is Leslie’s job to find soldiers for each six-month rotation of the approximately 2,500 troops bound for Afghanistan.

“It gets more difficult as time goes on, not to send the same people back,” says Pellerin…

Compounding the challenge is the fact the rate of soldiers leaving the army has risen to 12 per cent from eight per cent.

Sweet.

The federal government plans to introduce legislation protecting the day jobs of some reservists while they are deployed, Canada’s labour minister said Tuesday.

By the way, to the person who scoffed at my claim that I’ve been pushing legislation through Parliament the past two years: I drink Rickard’s Red and yes, this will be the tastiest beer I drink all year.

The NDP has introduced job protection legislation for reservists.

Today in the House of Commons, NDP Defence Critic Dawn Black (New Westminster-Coquitlam) introduced legislation to protect the jobs of reservists while they are deployed on operations. “Reservists put their lives on the line to protect Canada; they shouldn’t come home to find that their jobs are gone.” said Black.

This is the first step to victory for everyone who joined the facebook group and signed the petition. Now we need to put pressure on the Members of Parliament to support this legislation and make it law.

The federal government is beginning to take the issue seriously.

Canada’s labour minister says no one who wears the country’s military uniform should ever have to go directly from the front line to the unemployment line.

Jean-Pierre Blackburn is travelling across the country as the federal government looks for ways to protect the jobs of military reservists who are absent from work while training or on active duty.

The consultation comes after some soldiers lost their jobs while deployed in Afghanistan.

Contact Jean-Pierre Blackburn and let him know you support job protection for reservists.
Email: Blackburn.J@parl.gc.ca
Telephone: (613) 947-2745
Fax: (613) 947-2748
Mail: Hon. Jean-Pierre Blackburn
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Be sure to also join the Facebook group and sign the petition.

I’ve started up a new facebook group with the purpose of sending a message to Ottawa that legislation protecting the jobs of Canadian reservists who volunteer to serve our country on extended overseas missions should be enacted.

I’ve also started up a petition to go along with it.

To: Canadian House of Commons

Canadian reservists frequently volunteer to serve our country in extended overseas missions. Unfortunately our country–with the exception of the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia–does not recognize their sacrifice and some reservists return home only to face the unemployment line.

This situation is simply not fair to the men and women who put their lives on the line for their fellow Canadians.

Therefore we believe it’s long overdue for the Canadian government to enact federal legislation that will protect the jobs of reservists who volunteer to serve in extended overseas missions.

Empty gestures like ribbons and red t-shirts are not the way to support our troops.

Cocaine widespread on Canadian warship, court martial told

Cocaine was used regularly by about one-third of the crew members of a warship stationed at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt near Victoria, a military court has heard.

Another snag for those Leopard II tanks that we absolutely needed to have because our Leopard I’s were getting their asses kicked by the Taliban’s tanks.

A world-wide shortage of specially-tempered armour could delay next year’s deployment to Afghanistan of newly-purchased Dutch Leopard tanks - unless the Canadian army moves quickly to finalize an upgrade contract, says a defence industry executive.

It could take up to 18 months to get the steel necessary to reinforce the hulls of as many as 40 Leopard 2A4s, says a senior official with Rheinmettall Canada, the Montreal company vying for the roughly $200-million improvement contract.

Any bets on what the final price for this boondoggle will be?

Certainly not the Conservatives or the Liberals.

A reservist serving in Afghanistan says it’s wrong that he’s facing unemployment when he returns to his home in western Newfoundland in August.

Maj. Wallace Noseworthy is asking the Newfoundland and Labrador government to protect the jobs of reservists when they leave work for military duty.

Noseworthy, now serving in Kabul, had no choice but to quit his job managing a car dealership in Stephenville after his employer did not give him a leave of absence.

So who does?

Noseworthy has been lobbying from overseas for greater job protection for reservists. There is no federal law protecting reservists’ jobs, and laws vary from province to province.

Employers in Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan are bound to hold jobs for reservists.

That would be the NDP led Manitoba and the NDP led Saskatchewan. And in Nova Scotia it wasn’t the ruling Conservatives who enacted legislation protecting reservists’ jobs. Once again it was the opposition NDP–who are on the cusp of electoral victory in the province–that pushed for this legislation.

To put our support into action, I introduced Bill 80, the Canadian Forces Reservists Protection Act last Fall. The House of Assembly approved my legislation unanimously in November. It was proclaimed, put into law this April.

This NDP bill, now Nova Scotia law, provides job protection for members of the Canadian Reserve Forces who must leave their jobs for active duty.

While the Conservatives and Liberals are content to support the troops with empty gestures like slapping decals on vehicles or donning red t-shirts, the NDP actually does something significant–like insuring reservists can serve without worrying about losing their jobs–to support the troops.

If the rumours that Maxime Bernier will replace Gordon O’Connor as Minister of Defence are true it would create quite an embarrassment for PMS. After all, he is on record as stating that when it comes to military matters he doesn’t care about the opinion of anyone who hasn’t served in the military and Bernier hasn’t.

This is, without a doubt, the dimmest bit of nonsense ever spewed by the right.

A report on the murder of a Canadian aid worker in Afghanistan last summer should give serious pause for reflection to Canadians who think this country’s combat role there should be ended and replaced by aid and reconstruction work.

Mike Frastacky, a Vancouver carpenter, was building a school in northern Afghanistan when he was hauled from his bed, tied up and shot after a terrorist leader gave the order, “Kill the infidel.”

So let me get this straight. Canadian soldiers are engaged in a combat role in Afghanistan and have been for more than a year now. Aid workers are being killed despite this. So the obvious solution–at least to the terminally stupid–is to do more of the same.

I have a better idea. How about instead of chasing Afghans around the hillsides our soldiers protect the aid workers who are being targetted for assassination?

I’m quite sure that if a few Canadian soldiers had been patrolling the area where Mike Frastacky was hauled from his bed he’d still be sleeping in it today.

A tragic waste.

A roadside blast killed three Canadian soldiers on patrol Wednesday in southern Afghanistan, bringing Canada’s total number of fallen soldiers in the Afghan mission to 60.

The Defence Department said the three soldiers killed were: Cpl. Stephen Frederick Bouzane, 26; Pte. Joel Vincent Wiebe, 22; and Sgt. Christos Karigiannis, all of the Edmonton-based Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.

How many more young Canadians will we allow to be sacrificed on the alter of conservative bloodlust in a war that’s already been lost?

Here’s what the Afghan police think of them.

“The commander of a beleaguered Afghan National Police detachment in Kandahar province’s Zhari district is becoming increasingly frustrated with the Canadian Forces in the area. The foreign soldiers, he charges, have repeatedly ignored police calls for help in fighting the insurgents and overlooked tips on where to find and destroy Taliban nests.

“In fact, Mr. Hakim contends, a lack of co-operation between the police, the Afghan National Army and Canadian troops has helped insurgent strength in the district grow to 300 or 400 fighters from 100 six months ago.

“…the police and NATO seem to be waging their own, independent wars, the commander said. The Canadian offensives against the Taliban, like Operation Hoover a few weeks ago, are largely “useless,” because the militants hear in advance of the large-scale missions that often involve tanks. They hide to avoid confrontation and sometimes lay down improvised explosive devices to sabotage the Canadian advance, the officer observed.