Perfect.
The Canadian government managed to spend $34.8 million on sleeping bags unfit for winter use.
According to a recent CBC report, the sleeping bags were so unfit that the Canadian Army sought to issue sleeping bags from the 1960s to soldiers heading to training exercises in Alaska.
“More than 350 soldiers belonging to the 3rd battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) deployed to Ram Falls Provincial Park, west of Red Deer, Alta., in late November last year, where they spent several days training for northern operations.
Temperatures during the deployment ranged from – 5C during the day to – 20C at night.
The “critical issues” discovered by the soldiers “related to lack of warmth with the new GPSBS,” said the briefing note, written on Dec. 5, 2023.
The general unsuitability of the new sleeping bag system has prompted the Department of National Defence (DND) to start looking to buy additional bedrolls that can be used in the Far North.”
This shows two things.
First, the Canadian government isn’t taking our national defence seriously.
Second, the procurement process remains deeply broken.
At a time when we should be rapidly building up our military strength to defend ourselves and our allies against the growing threat from the New Axis of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, the government is letting our military strength wither away.
Spencer Fernando