(For my Canadian friends...your thoughts?)

From: https://shorturl.at/SX4gT (realclearwire.com)

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Canada Adrift

By Andrew Latham
January 10, 2025

Justin Trudeau's tenure as Canada's prime minister has been marked by a
mix of lofty rhetoric and lackluster follow-through, but nowhere is this
more evident than in the realm of national defense and security. While
Trudeau has made some noteworthy pronouncements about Canada's role in the
world, his actual record reveals a profound failure to safeguard Canadian
sovereignty and support the Canadian Armed Forces. When it comes to
protecting Canada's strategic interests, Trudeau's leadership has proven
to be among the weakest of any modern prime minister.

Trudeau's failures are perhaps most glaring in the area of defense
spending and procurement. Despite years of promises to meet NATO's target
of spending 2% of GDP on defense, Canada remains far below this benchmark,
consistently ranking among the lowest contributors in the alliance. This
is not merely a failure to honor international commitments; it is a
failure to invest in the fundamental capabilities required to protect
Canada itself. The government's inability to replace aging equipment, from
fighter jets to naval vessels, has left the Canadian Armed Forces
struggling to fulfill even its most basic responsibilities. For a country
with vast territorial waters, an increasingly contested Arctic, and a
close partnership with the United States, this neglect is indefensible.

The Arctic, in particular, stands as a glaring symbol of Trudeau's
shortcomings. The region is critical to Canada's sovereignty and security,
yet the government has done little to assert control over this
strategically vital area. As Russia and China ramp up their presence in
the Arctic, Canada's capabilities remain woefully inadequate. Promises of
bolstered Arctic patrols and modernized icebreakers have largely gone
unfulfilled, leaving Canada vulnerable in a region that is rapidly
becoming a focal point of great-power competition. If sovereignty is
defined by the ability to project power and influence within one's own
borders, then Canada under Trudeau has fallen short.

Equally troubling is the state of Canada's broader strategic posture.
Trudeau's government has often appeared more concerned with projecting an
image of Canada as a moral beacon than with addressing hard security
realities. This has led to a pattern of overpromising and underdelivering.
While Trudeau's government released a defense policy in 2017 that
committed to "Strong, Secure, Engaged," the actual implementation of this
strategy has been halting at best. The policy called for significant
investments in personnel, equipment, and capabilities, yet the funding and
political will to follow through have been sorely lacking. The result is a
Canadian military that is overstretched, under-resourced, and increasingly
irrelevant on the global stage.

It is important to acknowledge that Trudeau has not been an unmitigated
disaster in every aspect of national security. His government has
articulated some important principles regarding Canada's role in a
changing international order. Notably, there has been a recognition that
Canada must adapt to the realities of great-power competition and the
decline of American hegemony. This has been evident in Trudeau's
rhetorical emphasis on multilateralism and a "rules-based international
order," as well as in the acknowledgment of emerging threats in the
Indo-Pacific and Arctic. These pronouncements suggest a certain clarity of
vision about Canada's place in the world, even if that vision has not
translated into effective action.

Trudeau's record also includes some positive steps in aligning Canada's
grand strategy with its geography. There has been a gradual shift in focus
toward the North Pacific and Arctic, which aligns with Canada's natural
strategic priorities. However, these efforts have been more symbolic than
substantive. Canada's contributions to the Pacific theater remain
marginal, and the absence of a robust Arctic strategy continues to
undermine national security. This disconnect between strategy and
execution has been a hallmark of Trudeau's leadership on defense issues.

The most damning critique of Trudeau's approach to national security lies
in his failure to understand that defense and sovereignty are not optional
luxuries but core responsibilities of the state. This misunderstanding is
evident in the government's repeated delays and mismanagement of defense
procurement projects. From the botched effort to replace the CF-18 fighter
jets to the prolonged and still-unresolved plans for new naval vessels,
Trudeau's government has shown a stunning lack of urgency. These delays
not only weaken Canada's military capabilities but also signal to allies
and adversaries alike that Canada is not serious about its defense
commitments.

Moreover, the Trudeau government's reluctance to make hard choices on
defense has undermined Canada's credibility as a partner. This is
particularly evident in the context of NATO, where Canada's failure to
meet spending commitments has become a source of frustration for allies.
At a time when the alliance is facing renewed threats from Russia and an
increasingly assertive China, Canada's underperformance is more than an
embarrassment; it is a liability. The same can be said for Canada's
defense relationship with the United States. As Washington grows
increasingly focused on great-power competition, Canada risks being seen
as a weak link in the North American defense partnership.

Trudeau's defenders might argue that his government has faced significant
constraints, from fiscal pressures to political opposition, which have
made it difficult to prioritize defense. While there is some truth to
this, it does not excuse the lack of vision and execution that have
characterized his approach. Other leaders have faced similar challenges
and risen to the occasion; Trudeau has not. His failure to address
Canada's defense and security needs is not a matter of circumstance but of
choice.

In assessing Trudeau's legacy, it is tempting to focus on his strengths as
a communicator and his ability to project Canada as a progressive,
outward-looking nation. Yet these qualities cannot obscure the reality
that his record on national defense and security has been deeply flawed.
For all his talk of Canada's role as a global leader, Trudeau has
neglected the fundamental building blocks of sovereignty and security. His
tenure has left Canada less prepared, less capable, and less credible in a
world that is growing more dangerous by the day.

Justin Trudeau's time as prime minister will likely be remembered for many
things, but his handling of national defense and security will not be
among his proudest achievements. While he has occasionally articulated a
compelling vision for Canada's place in the world, his government has
consistently failed to back that vision with the necessary resources and
resolve. In this sense, Trudeau has not only failed to deliver on his
promises but also failed the fundamental test of leadership: the ability
to protect and advance the national interest.
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-- Sean

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