A disappointing choice by the New Democrats, indicating they’ve failed to realize how drastically Canada’s situation has changed.
For a country like Canada, with a well-educated and hardworking population, strong core values, a history of military strength, and abundant natural resources, weakness is a choice.
It’s a choice we made for far too long, choosing to hope for the best rather than prepare for the worst.
Now, some of us are making a different choice. Growing threats have forced many of us to reckon with our current state of national weakness and start to make a different choice.
With U.S. annexationist rhetoric, Russian aggression against our allies and potential threat to Canadian territory in the North, and China’s unprecedented military buildup, complacency is no longer acceptable.
Canadians are toughening up, and our country is beginning to rearm.
Unfortunately, at this crucial moment, the New Democratic Party is choosing to continue down the path of weakness and naivety.
In a statement opposing the NATO 5% target, the NDP regurgitated much of the same old rhetoric that has held Canada back for years.
Here’s one example:
“New Democrats believe in a Canada that can defend its borders and play a constructive role on the world stage as an honest broker and force for peace.
At they same time, we reject any move toward joining an offensive war machine that takes money away from necessary investments in essential programs for Canadians and genuine peacebuilding.”
Any military buildup includes offensive capability, since weapons are designed to kill. Further, ‘peacebuilding’ can only be done when the enemy is defeated, and weakness often raises the likelihood of war by tempting ruthless dictators. And as for investment in ‘essential programs,’ what programs will there be if Canada no longer exists?
The NDP also expressed concerns over how the military expansion would be funded:
“There is no plan to pay for such a dramatic increase, and would necessitate deep cuts to the services Canadians rely on. It would take billions of dollars away from fixing healthcare, building affordable housing, training young people and helping families make ends meet.”
If the federal NDP ever expressed concern over budget deficits, perhaps this criticism would have some credibility. But they are usually just fine with deficit spending, making it odd to see them oppose it in this specific instance.
A refusal to adapt
The NDP is acting like it’s still 2015. They are acting like American security guarantees are still 100% ironclad. They are acting like Russia isn’t brutalizing Ukraine and hasn’t converted to a total war economy. They are acting like China isn’t undertaking an immense military expansion.
In short, they’re acting like nothing has changed when in reality, everything has changed.
Canada must rearm.
We must protect our nation, rebuild our military, expand our domestic defence sector, become more resilient, and replace naivety and weakness with strength and resolve.
Unfortunately, the Federal NDP appears unable or unwilling to acknowledge this.
Of course, nothing is set in stone. We should encourage the NDP to reassess the circumstances and recognize the imperative for Canadians across the political spectrum to support the long-overdue rebuilding of our national defences.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
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