Bland: Trudeau Cannot Neglect the Canadian Forces

By: Douglas Bland, Guest Author -Ottawa Citizen 

The government of Canada has a duty to provide to citizens a comprehensive explanation of its national defence policies. After more than a year in office, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has yet to reveal his defence policy and its supporting multi-billion-dollar budget.

In April, the prime minister launched public consultations on security challenges, the role of the military in facing “current threats and challenges,” and what resources might be necessary to carry out its mandate – oddly, without defining what that mandate might be.

These consultations attracted 4,700 Canadians to public meetings and produced 20,200 “submissions.” The review ended in July and its conclusions were apparently presented to cabinet in October, but they have been withheld from the public. Indeed, Trudeau seems to have decided not to present a national defence policy to Parliament until sometime in mid-2017 or later.

Defence policy or not, the Liberal government, among other fundamental defence policy decisions, withdrew Canada’s CF-18 fighters from the battle against ISIL insurgents; committed hundreds of military advisers to near-combat operations in Iraq and other areas in that dangerous region without the courtesy of even a take-note debate in Parliament; sent or plans to send large units on vague missions in Eastern Europe; dithers over committing perhaps hundreds more military personnel to risky, ill-defined missions in Africa and perhaps elsewhere; confounded defence procurement strategies by, for example, cancelling plans to replace Canada’s aging CF-18 fleet and hesitating to confirm other major projects; and after a year in office, has failed to define its annual multi-billion-dollar defence budget.

The reality, however, is that Trudeau does have an active, but undeclared, traditional Liberal national defence policy founded on the longstanding Liberal defence bromide: You must not take the CAF seriously. It will not be required for the defence of the country, as the United States will protect us from enemy aggression.


Liberal governments were compelled by public opinion to build significant military forces during the First and Second World Wars and in the early years of the Cold War. After 1960, political support for a modern, robust Canadian Forces gradually, then rapidly, faded from the national political agenda.

The Liberal government’s 1964 White Paper On Defence raised “doubts” about the traditional structure of armed forces and looked to “organizational efficiencies” to reduce defence spending. Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau’s 1971 defence white paper belittled the traditional roles of armed forces, “(especially) at a time when national social and economic needs (were) considerable.” He concluded that “the size of the defence budget can only be made in the context of the Government’s (other) national priorities and programs” and cut budgets and capabilities yet again.

Prime minister Jean Chrétien’s 1994 defence white paper was clear and ultimately disarming: “Everything is being made leaner, everything is undergoing the closest scrutiny.” Deep cuts were made to budgets, infrastructure and administration, but most radically to operational capabilities and to plans and budgets intended to modernization of next-generation armed force.

The tradition continues. Trudeau’s national defence policy – if one is presented to Parliament – will also aim to produce, as he announced during the election, “a leaner, more agile” defence force, a target that can be achieved only by reducing CAF operational capabilities.

Informed observers expect that, as a minimum, Trudeau will reduce significantly the defence budget, cut the personnel strength of army and militia units; delay plans to rebuild the navy’s dilapidated submarine fleet; greatly restructure downward the navy’s shipbuilding program; and delay into the far future any decision to replace the CF-18 fleet.

If Trudeau believes, after the election of Donald Trump, that Canada can continue to free-ride on the defence policies and budgets of the United States, then he will be greatly disappointed after his first meeting with the president-elect.

Better for Canada’s security and relations with the United States if Trudeau immediately assured Trump that Canada intends to significantly modernize the Canadian Forces and shows him his government’s budget to do so.

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Dr. Douglas Bland is professor emeritus, Queen’s University and a retired Canadian Armed Forces lieutenant-colonel.