Canadian Forces officers applaud speech slamming climate change policies, cancel culture, weak leaders
Serving senior Canadian military officers gave a standing ovation to a speech by a retired general who criticized everything from the removal of historical statues and apologies to victims to government climate change policies.
Retired Lt.-gen. Michel Maisonneuve, accepting a top defence award Nov. 9 in Ottawa, also took a swipe at leaders who he claimed divide rather than unite. While not specifically naming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or Hillary Clinton, Maisonneuve said “can you imagine a military leader labelling half of his command as deplorables, fringe radicals and lessthans and then expect them to fight as one?”
Conservative MPS, antivaxers, right-wing commentators and those who supported protests which blockaded border crossings and occupied downtown Ottawa earlier this year have all railed at Trudeau for his comments about demonstrators. Trudeau labelled protest groups that descended on Ottawa as a “fringe minority” who held “unacceptable views” not representing the majority of Canadians.
U.S. Presidential candidate Hilary Clinton in 2016 labelled Donald Trump’s supporters as deplorables, noting they expressed racist, sexist, homophobic and Islamophobic views.
In addition, Maisonneuve took issue with the new policy by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre who made recent changes to military dress regulations to include beards and hair colouring, and to give both women and men more options in selecting uniforms.
Maisonneuve made his speech as he accepted the Vimy Award, which honoured him for his life-long contributions in defence, including his work on military education, support for veterans as well as his commitment to bilingualism.
Chaired by Richard Wagner, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and Trudeau’s national security advisor Jody Thomas, the Vimy Gala bills itself as “one of the most exclusive formal dining evenings in the country which unites the defence and security community.” It is hosted by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute.
Maisonneuve also criticized the apologies being made to various groups. “Today’s world is also where taking personal responsibility for our own actions has disappeared from the landscape while the phenomenon of collective apologies flourishes in our country,” he told the audience of 600. “Individuals and groups fight over who gets to wear the coveted victims’ cloak.”
Defence Minister Anita Anand apologized last year to those who faced sexual assaults and harassment in the Canadian Forces.
Maisonneuve also criticized the judgement of historical leaders “against the standards of today. Enough statues have been toppled; erasing our history is not the solution.”