Government halts program to replace military trucks

Damn it! Well base side is still getting our MLVWs we dont want em back!

Another nail in the "Only Harper loves the military" coffin...

I dont think so, it's not like he is screwing the CF in order to raise funding for Mime Schools.

Sure, if you ignore the budget increases to date and those going forward sure, you could use this as a nail.

A tiny finishing nail.

Sure, if you ignore the budget increases to date and those going forward sure, you could use this as a nail.

A tiny finishing nail.

Budget increases that weren't much larger than Paul Martin had planned - and under the current fiscal austerity/prudence - there are no increases going forward. Martin also planned on buying C-130s, new trucks, the Joint Supply Ship and a number of other major projects - several of which were renewed by the current government and have either stalled or been scaled back.

Let's also not forget the $1.1 billion in cuts to defence spending this year. Or the planned projects which have been cancelled, restarted and then cancelled (JSS & Trucks are the two that immediately come to mind) so many times, it makes one think the Liberals are still in office.

But if you want hard proof, here's wonderful little tidbit from last month;



http://www.canada.com/news/Conservative ... story.html

And I'm not singling out Harper - as I said it's another nail in the " Harper loves the military" myth.

Harper is, first and foremost, a politician - and one not all that different from all the rest we've had since the 60s. They see defence purchases as a way to placate allies (Liberals) or keep supporters happy (Conservatives), but both big parties have long since realized that defence spending doesn't win enough votes to keep you in office.

If Harper wants kudos on defence spending, he needs to do what none of his predecessors have done since the 60s - spend big AND maintain the CF. A few flashy photo ops around C-17 cargo planes and F-35 fighters is no better than the Liberal's occasional defence purchases like the Leopard tank, Cf-18 or Halifax frigates.

And he's had several opportunities - he inherited a huge surplus from the Liberals and eliminated almost every penny of it for a few tax breaks. He also went $100+ billion into the hole in 2008-2010, yet spent not one extra cent of that on defence. Even 5% of that stimulus would have bought a major new platform - be it the JSS, new destroyers, SAR planes, fighters or whatever. but what did he do? He shovelled pork into Conservative ridings across the country instead, to solidify his base.

Sorry, but Harper has shown over and over that he's not much better for the CF than the Liberals were.

I can see what you're saying now and I agree. Harper was able to take a lot of credit for military expenditures, which were mostly justified for a war that we were brought into by the liberals. Not that I am assigning blame, just that any rebuilding of the military was not done completely with conservative hands.