Canadian pilots flew U.S. transports into Iraq as part of training plan

If yer gonna learn how to fly one of those beasts, I can think of no better training environment than real life!

Wullu is exactly right. The whole idea behind the seasoning concept was to ensure the our guys would receive real world expertise so when we got our CC177s we could fly with confidence in theatre, and do any job as tasked. Hopefully our CH47 guys won't have their lives endangered by not getting embeded with an active in-theatre CH47 squadron to gain theatre experience. There is nothing worse than going to war with amateurs, and in the extremely compressed timeframe the CF has to train air and ground troops to support this heavy rotary lift capability, they need as much seasoning as they can get. The best place to learn, and gain real world experience is in theatre, where they will be tasked to move allied forces equipment they won't see anywhere else.

well this is a classic case of oppsoition members trying to make waaaaaaaaaaay more of this than it is whis is an ideal training environment while working with the military of the country of origin of the aircraft. dawn black has really gotta get a new position in the NDP or just give up on politics all together, the entire NDP party should be abolished they have done nothing significant for Canada if it were up to them we'd have a honour system security policy and no military.

come off it guys, it was a friggin transport plane. there's some people carrying on like they are delivering bombs to hiroshima

One of the reasons why the NDP will never lead this country was just displayed here.

They are much too quick to make fools of themselves. Our airmen were getting the best training out there bar none and of course in true form the NDP attack it.

The NDP has no respect for our armed forces and likely never will. In their socialist utopia the Canadian Forces would either cease to exist or degrade into a single brigade of Blue Helemets equipped not with rifles and grenades but candy bars and lollypops for all the children of the world.

It's enough to make you vomit.

I thought we were not involved in iraq. I dont support Canadians in iraq.

Further evidence of the Canadian military's overintegration with America's, with its attendant corrupting influence.

Canadians have no business whatsoever in Iraq.

Ref Dawn Black, like the MND said last week, being the NDP Defence Critic is like being a tailor in a nudist colony.

Canada like most countries is too small to make much of a difference on its own, thats why we have alliances with like minded nations. We have exchange officers embedded with a number of Nations and they have their guys embedded with the CF, both long term (usually two years) and short term (usually one to three months). When you are embedded with another country you belong to whatever unit/squadron/ship etc you are embedded with. You go where they go, learn their equipment, their tactics, and command their troops if in a command position with the hope you bring insight and networking contacts back to Canada.

To make the leap that a Canadian Forces member, embeded with another nation constitutes Canada being a party to whatever that nation is engaged in is false. For example, when the number 2 man in the CF, LGeneral Natynczyk was Deputy Commanding General of III Corps, or Deputy Commanding General of the Multi-National Corps Iraq, Canada was never called to account for his actions by either friends or foes. To make the case the NDP has made does not make much sense as no military member embeded with another countrys military is ever seen to be making decisions for his home country's government.

What are you talking about! Paul Martin`s company Cordex Petroleum Inc recieved a million dollar investment from Saddam Hussein. There were many direct links between PMPM and the oil for food scandel also.

There`s also a private security firm in Quebec that is number 2 or 3 for supplying private security personel to Iraq. I`d call that involvement also.

You sure are uninformed for a guy that pretends to be so well informed.

You've been drinking, haven't you?

Ohhhh, now the US is a corrupting influence on the CF.

Personally I felt very comfortable, not corrupted every time I looked across the augie and saw the USS George Washington and her 80 plus combat aircraft steaming along as we dug holes in the GOO and the PG.

Corrupting? Nah, we ain't as gullible as yourself.

Wullu stands as exhibit A: More interested in fighting dumb American wars than in defending Canada.

Sorry.. you're probably stoned by now so you can't really read that. Here's a graphic version. You can enjoy the pretty lines and colors untill you can read again: