Ex-commander weighs in before defence review
OTTAWA — The former commander of the country’s special forces says the reality of the world is that people will continue to kill, and Canada needs to be prepared.
The blunt talk by retired lieutenant-general Mike Day comes as the Trudeau government mulls options for its defence policy review, which will set the course for the military.
In a speech to a Mackenzie Institute conference on future conflicts, Day said coming clashes would be messy, illdefined and driven by climate change and world demographic shifts. They will not be clear, or easy, and will likely require “decades of engagement.”
“I’m a cynic when it comes to human nature and the fact is, no matter how many sunny ways we have, my experience in deploying around the world is people will want to continue to kill other people and we need to be ready for that,” Day said.
His presentation underscored the challenge facing the new government as it tries to figure out how to defend the country, but also act with “responsible conviction” — as Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion puts it — on the international stage.
The commander of the navy, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, told the conference it is essential to get the policy review as close to perfect as possible.
The key is to design a future military capable of delivering operational and policy options for governments for the next several decades, he said.
The Liberals have yet to launch the review and public consultations — something they promised in the past election — but insist the exercise will be done by the end of the year.
Norman, who will take over as second-in-command of the Forces in three months, said global uncertainty makes it necessary for the military to be ready for anything, much like a fire department.
Day wondered whether there were some expensive capabilities the country could do without.
“When we go overseas, let’s accept the fact we don’t need to come to the party with the cake and the champagne and the chips, and the party poppers,” Day said.