Although most of the attention is on the still ongoing Trump tariff tantrum, there is still the required battle-space preparations going on for the next federal election. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre discussed his proposals for improving national security in the Arctic, and CDR Salamander is enthusiastic:
![](https://quotulatiousness.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Pierre-and-Ana-Poilievre-20220421-Wikimedia-Commons-318x600.jpg)
Pierre and Ana Poilievre at a Conservative leadership rally, 21 April, 2022.
Photo by Wikipageedittor099 via Wikimedia Commons.
… here are the highlights as I see them.
- Canada’s Arctic is under threat. 75% of Canada’s coastline is in the far north, and 40% of her landmass. Canada needs to become self-sufficient.
- In the fall of 2022, the Canadian military found Chinese monitoring buoys in the Arctic.
- A Royal Canadian Navy frigate shadowed a Chinese research vessel in the Bering Strait off Alaska last year (thank you RCN friends, we don’t have any frigates nor naval bases in Alaska because … our leaders don’t understand much outside Norfolk, San Diego, or the Potomac).
- Russia is building new bases and infrastructure in the Arctic.
- Canada will take back control of Canadian waters, sky, and land.
- The Canadian military today is weakened and her allies no longer respects her.
- Canada does not have a permanent military presence in the Arctic.
- When Prime Minister, he will increase Canadian forces by:
– Doubling the size of the Canadian Rangers from 2,000 to 4,000 Rangers.
– Acquire two additional polar heavy icebreakers for the Royal Canadian Navy by 2029 on top of the two current icebreakers being built for the Canadian Coast Guard.
– Will build Canada’s first permanent Arctic military base since the Cold War. It will be CFB Iqaluit. 100% of the cost of the base will come out of the Canadian foreign aid budget and will be up and running within two years of Poilievre becoming Prime Minister.
– New submarines.
- Bringing wasted foreign aid back to Canada.
- If Canada wants to be a sovereign, self-reliant nation, it must take control of their north, secure its borders, and stand on its own two feet.
- Canada cannot count on the Americans to do it for them.
Further on in this speech, Poilievre speaks out strongly against some of the statements of President Trump and his administration, and that is fine for me. Were I Canadian, I would say very similar things. This is OK. Friends can have disagreements now and then, but for every one item that causes friction, we will always have nine items that bring us together.
It’s all good.