[Freakinoldguy]

herbie herbie:

Well you got your answer in the new budget. The big increase in the defense budget goes to veterans services. Billions in capital expenditures are put off. It stays less than 1% of GDP.
Meanwhile, there's $7 billion for child care and billions for rapid transit.
Pretty clear Canadians want their tax dollars used for services not more guns.

And there's room for deployments still.

Back in your court Mr. Trump. Got $70 billion for child care in the USA? Of course not, they wouldn't even want to think about that.

So I guess given your assumptions that the "people" want their money spent on other things rather than more guns. it can be safely said that that when people elected Harper they wanted their tax dollars spend on more guns and defence?

As for spending on veterans services, there was a promise of more spending but no definitive timeline or financial numbers about the promises. Trudeau also forgot to mention anything about reinstating the pensions his party stole from the disabled Veterans in 2006 which, is just another of his broken promises that he refuses to address or recognize.

$1:

6. Veterans

The budget reiterates the promise, with no dollars attached, that the government will allow injured veterans the option of receiving a disability award through a lifetime pension rather than through a lump-sum payment. The details will be released this year.

In more concrete commitments, it goes some distance toward making life easier for the families of those who have been wounded in service. Most importantly, it offers $187.3-million over six years to create a Caregiver Recognition Benefit, which will provide veterans’ caregivers, including spouses or other family members, with $1,000 tax-free per month.

The government will eliminate the one-year time window in which spouses of veterans who are permanently injured, or who have been killed while on duty, must decide whether they will apply for vocational rehabilitation. There is an additional $147-million over six years to expand Military Family Resource Centres. And there are new funds for veterans and family well-being, and emergencies.

The budget also commits $17.5-million over four years to create a new Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and related mental-health conditions.

There was also a giant zero increase in military spending which means that the prospect of shutting down the military to save a buck isn't just a talking point anymore but a reality. But, I guess that doesn't matter because there won't be new in equipment acquisitions till hell freezes over anyway.

$1:

5. Defence

Despite calls from the United States for Canada to increase its contributions to international military efforts, there is no increase in defence spending in the 2017 budget. In fact, the Department of National Defence is reallocating $8.48-billion that it expected to spend on capital projects, such as planes, ships, trucks and large infrastructure, before 2036 to future years when it will be used to purchase fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft and new light-armoured vehicles.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... e34380231/

So unless you read a different budget than the rest of us there is nothing concrete in it for the Military or the Veterans other than more of the usual promises that are never going to be kept if it costs the Gov't any money that could be spent on making themselves look better to the UN.

[herbie]

The Liberal government at the same time announced an additional $624 million in spending over several years on veterans programs.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal ... -1.4035424
They also returned the tax exemption for those stationed in the Middle East. Whole house unanimous on that one.

$1:

So I guess given your assumptions that the "people" want their money spent on other things rather than more guns. it can be safely said that that when people elected Harper they wanted their tax dollars spend on more guns and defence?

So how did you reach that conclusion out of thin air? For that matter, was the stink of him not keeping that campaign promise even close to that of JT not keeping his on election reform? Not even close.
It's pretty obvious that every party caters to where the votes are, and you keep bemoaning a sector where they aren't. Not a damn chance in hell any party will more than double the defense budget and even less than that they'll do it because some US president says so. Specially one so fucking stupid and diplomatically inept he thinks he can.
Of course our military needs some new shit, but they also need a complete rethink of purpose and needs.

[BartSimpson]

bootlegga bootlegga:

Take a look at that list and you'll see Canada is one of the better allies you have.

True.

But this is about Canada stepping up to do it's part as a continuing member of NATO. If NATO membership is too expensive or onerous then withdraw from it.

[Freakinoldguy]

herbie herbie:

The Liberal government at the same time announced an additional $624 million in spending over several years on veterans programs.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal ... -1.4035424
They also returned the tax exemption for those stationed in the Middle East. Whole house unanimous on that one.

$1:

So I guess given your assumptions that the "people" want their money spent on other things rather than more guns. it can be safely said that that when people elected Harper they wanted their tax dollars spend on more guns and defence?

So how did you reach that conclusion out of thin air? For that matter, was the stink of him not keeping that campaign promise even close to that of JT not keeping his on election reform? Not even close.
It's pretty obvious that every party caters to where the votes are, and you keep bemoaning a sector where they aren't. Not a damn chance in hell any party will more than double the defense budget and even less than that they'll do it because some US president says so. Specially one so fucking stupid and diplomatically inept he thinks he can.
Of course our military needs some new shit, but they also need a complete rethink of purpose and needs.

Of course they cater to where they can get the votes because if they didn't we wouldn't be hearing about all the special interest groups that litter the Canadian landscape. But assuming that the "people" don't want military spending because a person got 39.5% of the popular vote is pretty much making a wild ass assumption.

Beside Trudeau got elected on his promises one of which was to give the military what they needed to operate including new equipment, a promise that he has failed with completely or deferred so far in to the future as to be meaningless. So saying he's catering to the people who elected him is utter bullshit because there were likely alot of people who voted for him who wanted this promise kept.

$1:

We will maintain current National Defence spending levels, including current planned increases.

Under Stephen Harper, investments in the Canadian Armed Forces have been erratic, promised increases in funding have been scaled back, and more than $10 billion of approved funding was left unspent.

This mismanagement has left Canada’s Armed Forces underfunded and ill-equipped, and the courageous members of the Forces unsupported after years of dedicated service.

We will not let Canada’s Armed Forces be shortchanged, and we will not lapse military spending from year to year. We will also reinvest in building a leaner, more agile, better-equipped military, including adequate support systems for military personnel and their families.

https://www.liberal.ca/realchange/inves ... -military/



It doesn't matter who he spends the money on the fact is that when you make a promise and don't keep it you become, a liar and I'd say after this budget that when it comes to the Military, the Liberal Party of Canada is the biggest group of self serving spin doctors if not outright liars this country has ever seen.

[Freakinoldguy]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

bootlegga bootlegga:

Take a look at that list and you'll see Canada is one of the better allies you have.

True.

But this is about Canada stepping up to do it's part as a continuing member of NATO. If NATO membership is too expensive or onerous then withdraw from it.

It's pretty obvious when this budget came out that the PM wasn't going to step up on our NATO commitment let alone on his promises to our military.

So, just don't crap on the rank and file of the Canadian Military because it's pretty hard to do a job with no proper training and antiquated 1990's technology despite what happy days claims.

[BartSimpson]

I'm not crapping on the troops I'm supporting them by nagging for better equipment and spares like they're supposed to have.

[herbie]

Nobody else is either.
But they're not gonna support "spend X dollars" so they can run out and buy 10,000 5 ton trucks or divisions of Abrahams tanks to rust in the rain either. Bad enough to see the convoys of $250,000 weird funny looking things crawling down the road in a convoy while your kids could spray a Wrangler or F450 green in an hour and have jobs again building them!