This will be a tough adjustment for many of us to make. But we must make it.
In March of 2022, Foreign Affairs Minister & likely Liberal Leadership contestant Melanie Joly referred to Canada as a ‘convening power‘:
“Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is selling Canada’s military short, according to former generals who expressed surprise at comments she made this week.
On Tuesday, Joly said Canada will continue working with international partners in helping protect Ukraine through aid and diplomacy, but suggested that was the limit of our capabilities.
“Canada is not a nuclear power, it is not a military power,” she told CTV Power Play host Evan Solomon. “We’re a middle-sized power and what we’re good at is convening and making sure that diplomacy is happening, and meanwhile convincing other countries to do more.”
Retired Maj.-Gen. David Fraser did not share the minister’s assessment.
“As a proud Canadian, I think we are far more than what she says we are,” he said.
“I think the 40,000 Canadians that served in Afghanistan, the 158 soldiers who were killed over there and their families might have something more to say than what our minister is saying.”
Unfortunately, Joly’s remarks are quite indicative of how many Canadians see our country. Despite our significant military contributions in the past, this country has moved towards naive & passive pacifism.
We have allowed our military to wither away, to the point where we are barely able to assert a minimum of control over our own territory, while also being limited in how well we can contribute to assist our allies.
As our raw military strength eroded, many have deluded themselves into thinking that ‘convening power’ and pieces of paper (our alliances), magically protect us.
But that’s not how it works.
To beleive that an alliance offers protection is to ultimately believe that the raw military strength of our allies will make up for our shortfall.
Such a mindset places the responsibility for our defence on others.
And that works, until the precise moment it doesn’t.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with trusting our allies. NATO and Canada’s other partnerships make us a much stronger and more secure nation. We should be signing up to more alliances, like AUKUS and CANZUK, and we should deepen our economic and military partnerships with the European Union.
But recognizing the importance of our allies doesn’t mean neglecting our own responsibility for our national defence.
This is something many countries have learned the hard way.
In the 1990s, Ukraine’s territorial integrity was guaranteed by the Budapest Memorandum, signed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia.
Ukraine gave up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal in exchange for a piece of paper.
But when push came to shove after Russia violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the United States and United Kingdom did not directly intervene.
Essentially, Ukraine traded raw power for a signed statements. Those signed statements meant little in the face of Russian bombs, tanks, and troops, whereas nuclear weapons would have dissuaded Russia from invading.
Ukraine survives today because of the bravery and ingenuity of the Ukrainian People and valuable assistance from free nations, which is another way of saying Ukraine survives because – while they lack nuclear weapons – they have enough raw conventional power to stop Russia from overunning the country.
This is a lesson Canada must learn before it is too late.
Abandoning our own military power while depending upon pieces of paper to defend us is a dangerous move.
If the United States or one of our other allies goes crazy, or even if they become far less dependable, our security and our sovereignty is put at risk.
In such a scenario, our own guarantee against invasion would be to possess a credible military capable of asserting control over our territory and dissuading aggression.
Ironically, a strong Canadian national defence – including a strong homegrown defence production capability – makes the pieces of paper that comprise our alliances more meaningful. A Canada capable of defending ourselves is a Canada that can contribute much more to NATO and other potential alliances. A Canada capable of defending ourselves is a Canada that can speak with real credibility when we talk about the invioability of borders, human rights, democracy, and individual freedom. And a Canada capable of defending ourselves is a Canada that will be more respected by allies like the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, and others.
We are entering into what may be a dark and difficult moment for our nation and the world. We can’t control all aspects of this. But we can control how we respond. And if we want to respond like a serious nation, like a nation that is hell-bent on survivng and thriving, then it’s time to recongize that we need to prioritize raw military power.
Spencer Fernando
