Army head hopes to see money for training

OTTAWA — Canadian Army commander Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk is hoping the federal government’s new defence policy means the days of pinching pennies to properly train his soldiers are finally in the past.

Much of the attention around the policy has focused on the large amounts of money promised for new equipment such as fighter jets and warships.

The army will benefit from this bonanza, with new airdefence weapons and logistical vehicles among the extra $62 billion that the government has promised for the Canadian Forces over the next 20 years.

But what has Wynnyk most excited is that the government has — for the first time — promised to train Canada’s soldiers to what he considers the required level. “Throughout the years, when I look back at my career, we haven’t always had a government promise or a government commitment to do that, and by extension the funding to do that,” Wynnyk said.

The policy says training to the “brigade-group level” is the minimum required to be able to conduct large military operations that include non-army units and allies.

Funding hasn’t always been available to train to that level, especially following the end of the combat mission in Afghanistan and deep spending cuts under the former Conservative government starting in 2012.

The army managed to keep training at the brigade-group level, Wynnyk said, but “it was almost on an ad hoc-basis in terms of cobbling together the funding.”