It would appear the Liberal government has sought to use tough talk to cover up our weakness when it comes to defending our sovereignty.
After a U.S. F-22 shot down an unidentified high-altitude object in the Yukon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a Tweet that gave the impression he was the one to direct that action:
“I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. @NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object.”
I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. @NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 11, 2023
Trudeau’s statement differs from what the White House said in a statement:
“Out of an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of their militaries, President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau authorized it to be taken down. President Biden authorized US fighter aircraft assigned to NORAD to conduct the operation and a US F-22 shot down the object in Canadian territory in close coordination with Canadian authorities.”
Note the differences:
Trudeau says he “ordered” the take down of the object, yet the White House says both Biden & Trudeau “authorized” it, while Biden then specifically authorized the US F-22 to make it happen.
It makes sense that Trudeau would give authorization to an operation in Canadian air space, while the U.S. President would give authorization for the actual execution of that operation.
The difference in wording gives every indication that the Trudeau government was trying to hype up Trudeau’s involvement to distract from the fact that it took a U.S. fighter jet to take down an object in Canadian airspace.
Indeed, as you can see below, CNN initially went along with the narrative Trudeau tried to put out, before shifting to more nuanced wording below the photo of Trudeau as more information emerged:
Heh. CNN buys Trudeau’s bullshit about ordering the shoot-down, then corrects the record after the White House weighs in with its account of who authorized it #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/lXmmbzlpJ4
— Norman Spector (@nspector4) February 12, 2023
CPC Defence Critic pushes back
Now, Conservative Defence Critic James Bezan – who has been a strong voice in advocating for a more robust Canadian national defence – is pushing back on Trudeau’s messaging:
“Despite Justin Trudeau’s claims, he has no authority to “order” the USAF to shoot down anything. At best he pleaded with President Biden to eliminate the threats for him since the Liberals have neglected the RCAF for the last eight years.”
Despite Justin Trudeau’s claims, he has no authority to “order” the USAF to shoot down anything. At best he pleaded with President Biden to eliminate the threats for him since the Liberals have neglected the RCAF for the last eight years.
— James Bezan (@jamesbezan) February 13, 2023
“I hope this is the wake-up call for the Trudeau Liberals to understand that we need to expedite NORAD modernization and the acquisition of the F-35s – which they needlessly delayed with eight years of political games.”
I hope this is the wake-up call for the Trudeau Liberals to understand that we need to expedite NORAD modernization and the acquisition of the F-35s – which they needlessly delayed with eight years of political games.
— James Bezan (@jamesbezan) February 13, 2023
“It’s both embarrassing and sad to see how vulnerable we have become that we can’t even defend ourselves from balloons of all things – thanks to this Liberal government.”
It’s both embarrassing and sad to see how vulnerable we have become that we can’t even defend ourselves from balloons of all things – thanks to this Liberal government.
— James Bezan (@jamesbezan) February 13, 2023
Bezan is correct.
As a nation, we should be embarrassed that our defences have eroded so dramatically.
And we should be concerned, because history shows hostile actors will take advantage of weakness.
No amount of fake tough talk from the Liberals can change the fact that Canada’s already-depleted military has fallen even further into crisis under Trudeau’s watch.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
