There is nothing stopping Canada – aside from our reluctance to shed our naivety – from becoming a credible military power.
When discussing Canada’s military power – or lack thereof – you will often hear people say things like “we can’t afford a strong military,” or “we are too small a country”.
However, those are both poor excuses to cover up for the real problem:
We are a profoundly naive country lacking the will to defend ourselves.
Even amid our dwindling per capita GDP, our economy is still one of the largest on Earth.
Our total GDP is about $2 trillion, far larger than countries like Israel and Taiwan – both of whom posses significant military strength.
Israel in particular is an important example for Canada, given that the Jewish State has repeatedly fought off competitors that are far larger both in terms of territory and population.
If Israel – with almost no natural resources and surrounded by potential enemies – can be a strong and credible military power, Canada has no excuse.
Poland is another example.
Poland has watched with escalating concern amid Vladimir Putin’s push to create some sick proto-fascist version of the Soviet Union.
Having been crushed in World War Two by both Germany and the Soviets, and then being subjugated by the Soviets for decades, Poland isn’t taking any chances.
They are buying & building all the fighter jets, tanks, and self-propelled artillery they can get.
They are also building strong defence industry partnerships with the United States, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
Poland is also ensuring their own defence industry benefits from those partnerships.
In 2022 for example, Poland signed a deal with the U.K. to produce Ottokar-Brzoza tank destroyers and outfit them with advanced British missiles:
Poland is taking things seriously, preparing for the prospect of a massive war and ensuring they do so from a position of strength, rather than weakness:
“The Ottokar-Brzoza programme has the potential to significantly impact Poland’s defense industrial base, according to the findings of GlobalData. The PGZ-OTTOKAR consortium, comprised of key domestic firms, Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), Mesko, Huta Stawola Wola and Wojskowe Zakłady Elektroniczne (WZE), has also signed a cooperation agreement with MBDA UK to facilitate integration of the latter’s Brimstone anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) on the new Ottokar-Brzoza platform.
Tristan Sauer, land domain analyst at GlobalData, commented: “Continued Russian geopolitical belligerence has put one of NATO’s most active member states on a war footing, with the Polish Ministry of National Defence having enacted several key procurement initiatives in recent months to replace ageing Soviet-era platforms and enhance interoperability with NATO partners.””
What Canada can learn from Israel & Poland
Canada has about four times the GDP of Israel.
We have about three times the GDP of Poland.
Our population is far larger than the population of Israel, and slightly larger than Poland.
Yet, we are much weaker than both Israel and Poland militarily.
The reason is that we feel safe, and this has made us dangerously complacent.
We feel any war will happen ‘somewhere else,’ while Israel and Poland both realize that war could be brought to their own territory at any moment. Israel is currently fighting against a genocidal terror organization, while Poland is watching Russia’s brutal invasion just over the border in Ukraine.
But assuming we are safe is a big mistake.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump recently said he would encourage Russia to do whatever they want to NATO countries that ‘don’t pay’ (presumably referring to spend 2% of GDP on defence):
“Trump: One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, Well, sir, if we don’t pay and were attacked by Russia, will you protect us? I said.. No I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.”
Trump: One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, Well, sir, if we don't pay and were attacked by Russia, will you protect us? I said.. No I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. pic.twitter.com/2RPVDFZIXy
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 10, 2024
Nobody – not even Trump probably – knows if he his serious about this.
But that’s the entire point.
With the polls currently close, there is a real chance that the U.S. will soon be led by someone who will either try to officially remove the U.S. from NATO, or render NATO almost meaningless by telegraphing his refusal to defend NATO members threatened by Russia, thus destroying the main point of NATO which is deterrence.
This also means that – given Russia’s continued military build-up in the Arctic – Canada could face a real prospect of having Russian troops set foot on Northern Canadian territory, without knowing whether the United States would help us eject those troops from our territory.
We could also be subjected to intimidation by Russian ships and submarines – infringing on our sovereignty over our maritime zones. We could also see our airspace be violated by Russian bombers.
Is this certain to happen?
Of course not.
Trump might lose again.
He might win and then reveal that his threats not to defend NATO countries was simply a negotiating tactic.
But the uncertainty is the entire reason we can’t just hope for the best.
We must prepare as if we are going to be on our own – or at least without the full protection of the United States – in a dangerous world.
And we must learn from fellow democracies like Poland & Israel who are doing what it takes to ensure their nation survives.
We must rearm
Yes, rearming will be expensive.
Yes, it will be unpopular – people never want to spend on the military unless the enemy is already at the gates.
And yes, people are tired of hearing about war.
And yet, there is a reason that the most important duty of a federal government is to ensure a strong national defence.
The cost of rearming now will be nothing compared to going into a massive global war unprepared.
Frankly, we should have started rearming many years ago.
But since we don’t have a time machine, the best time to start is now.
Canada must start buying tanks, fighter jets (paying more to get them faster if necessary), ships, missiles, drones, and more.
And we must start building deeper partnerships with defence contractors in allied nations, to ensure that we not only procure weapons now, but also build up our own domestic military industrial complex so we can produce what we need here at home.
The world could very well be heading into a very dark time, and burying our heads in the sand won’t protect us.
We must prepare for war.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
