2010
Sitting at my machine on the eve of a new decade I find myself thinking about Canada…who we are, where we want to go in the years ahead…and I have hope.
The last time Canada enjoyed a majority conservative government was in the days of Brian Mulroney and we got free trade, a boon to our country. But Mulroney, for all the hooting and hollering he did, was a liberal in drag and that remains true this very day.
Today, as we enter a new decade, we have something very different in Stephen Harper and the “left” is going nuts.
I’m reading Rick Hilliers book which I received as a Christmas present and it is a mind blower if you love our military and support it. His story starts in in 1975.
By that time I had been in our military for some twelve years and I’m here to tell you now that the Canadian military’s problems did not start when he joined. They started when John Diefenbaker was in power and it happened with his new “austerity program”. It happened as I joined the military and it was a long time ago.
This is truth. At that time the Canadian military started to reuse paperclips (literally) because we were so concerned about cost and in the years that passed afterward our military began to suffer as one brainless politician after another piled on. The biggest fool to appear was Paul Hellyer who, trying to save money, combined the air, water and land elements into one unit and everyone adopted the “jolly green jumper”.
Entire units disappeared (the Black Watch was one) but there were many.
That was only the tip of the iceburg.
“Cy Clayton” whom Hillier names in his book was my instructor on my first Junior NCO Course and I failed because I didn’t meet his standards. Rick notes that Cy ended up an RSM and so he should have but for an hour I held his career in my hands. As it turned out the military SIU were after him back in those days for holding “black power” meetings in his home and when they heard about what had happened to me on that course they wanted him…badly.
I supported him because the truth is this. He is one hell of a soldier…big, smart and totally fearless.
I wasn’t strong enough to keep up with him and “truly” — the course was so boring I had lost interest. It was like running the obstacle course “24/7″ and I was learning nothing. It was brutal and it was stupid (as Rick hints at in the book).
Time moved on. I know about those Centurion tanks he writes about. In my day they ran fine and Gagetown was where they ran. But as the years moved on and equipment broke down and wasn’t replaced I began to lose heart. It was also because of “touchy feely” stuff imposed on us by the “gods” in the great white tower. Things like forcing the french language upon us in order to get promoted. Differences in the way that the air force and navy assessed people for promotion (no land element prospective NCO could achieve higher than a B+ whilst the “Air Farce” could get an “A”. Guess what happened?
Army corporals were teaching air force sergeants how to work in a land environment as they took over and it became a hell of a mess. I finally gave up (I was qualified by that time to assume the rank of a Staff Sergeant) and I threw up my arms one day and said “f**k this”.
I left and moved on into civilian policing where the money was a lot better and I remained in one place with my family. The pension was a big draw also and here’s the point Rick is trying to make and I’m an example. I didn’t need the Armed Forces — they needed me — but they were to stupid to realize it as they crawled into a hole and faded away.
Knowing a few officers in the CF one of the things I have noted is how often they were bumped around from one posting to another. Rick writes about that and I know it to be true. I cannot and would not live that life. Not for one minute. My family and their welfare comes first and contrary to what RSM’s everywhere tell the troops (you’re married to the army — your family comes second) I disagree.
After the career is all over and you’re to old to serve anymore you need something to fall back on. That would be family. I think Rick knows that.
Nothing is more important and unlike Rick I was not the least bit interested in trotting my family around the globe to please an organization that apparently did not give a damn about me. I left in 1977 and never looked back.
Did I mention that on five different occasions the military SIU tried to recruit me? On TWO different occasions they tried (and failed) to send me on a French immersion course. I was not about to give these arseholes running the country an inch.
Back to Harper.
Politicians from the days of “Dief the thief” have always lumbered the Canadian military first when they wanted to re-route the money to other pet projects. Canadian Airborne regiment — “poof” — gone (Chretien) and they saved a bundle. One or two soldiers (bad actors) gave them the excuse to remove an entire regiment never mind that 99.9 % of them were hard working and had never put a foot wrong.
By that time I was “out” and I didn’t raise an eyebrow. Exactly as expected.
Then came “911″ and I was around that day standing outside the detachment (it was a local police department at the time) as a fellow officer came running in telling us that New York was under attack. I didn’t even need to think about it to know who was responsible.
Of course, it was Bin Laden.
“Big Willy” had been f**king around with him for years and failed to deal with him. Ten years later it’s all George Bush’s fault.
As all the confusion was going on Harper appeared on the horizon as he took over the Canadian Alliance and all of a sudden Liberals went into full panic mode. Never mind they had a majority government at the time — “Crouton” had to be replaced and the knives came out. PMPM replaced him in short order and as Harper advanced Liberals cringed. Harper took over and PMPM was replaced by Dion in due course as Liberals lost power only to be usurped by “Iggy” — he who walks on water according to the media.
“Iggy” (in his turn) is about to be replaced by an ex-NDP premier (Naked Bobbie) who will restart the process. Then the unification of the left will be complete and we’ll have a real parliament. Meanwhile Harper motors on saying little but RENEWING our forces for the first time in my lifetime. Our troops are finally getting everything they need and in my view it will get better in the days ahead as Harper runs the left into the ground and takes away all their entitlements.
I do not care about people who support the Taliban and that is what is happening.
It begins with the Senate and ends with a majority government where real change can happen.
I wish him well and “Happy New Year” Steve.
You are right on the money.
And “Happy New Year” to everyone. Better days ahead.
Popularity: 3% [?]



In the summer of 2010 Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled to come to Canada . Her visit follows that earlier this year of her son Charles and his wife Camilla. I suspect that the Queen’s visit will garner some coverage in the press but not much attention among the general public. Unlike her glamorous late daughter-in-law Diana, Elizabeth II doesn’t pique the curiosity of the average person. Canadians appear to like but not revere the Queen, as exemplified in the attitude of an old Portuguese doctor who in the Toronto weekly Voice wrote that he considered Elizabeth II a genuinely good person yet laughed at the fact she wore hats similar to those his grandmother used to wear.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper suspended Parliament yesterday until March 3, and came in for considerable abuse in return. Liberal MP Ralph Goodale called the move “a shocking insult to democracy.” NDP House Leader Libby Davies labelled the decision a “political scam.”



