I’ll believe it when I see it. “Senior government officials” were likely waiting to backpedal at precisely the moment the announcement was made.
Canada definitely plans to move forward with the purchase of new submarines, the federal government announced on the margins of the NATO Summit on Wednesday.
Up to now, the government has spoken only about the possibility of replacing the aging Victoria-class boats. But in the face of mounting criticism of Canada’s defence spending by allies — notably the United States — Ottawa has given the proposal the green light.
A senior government official, speaking on background, said they could not confirm how much the plan will cost, how many boats will be purchased or when they will arrive.
I’m not an arm chair general nor do I play one on TV nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night but I have to ask the question. Why would Canada buy submarines? For NATO target practice? Serious question. We need new aircraft and tanks and trucks and artillery and rifles and ships so why are we talking about buying subs…… The logic eludes me. Anyone?
Submarines easier to hide than tanks and guns? Hide the money, I mean.
Kick the can 20 years down the road. Might as well announce plans for a dozen nuclear aircraft carriers. Nothing will ever be built.
The only Canadian territorial waters that aren’t of significant interest to US defense are icebound most of the year. Having vessels that can traverse the Arctic ocean and hunt enemy subs doing the same thing is good logistics. Or would be if we had a serious military.
Daniel – rather think the rank and file of our military are serious; it’s the government that isn’t. And, of course, senior commanders have to agree with ze gov.
Their plan seems to involve buying Diesel subs, which isn’t great for arctic service…
Cut or blow a hole. The Sovs have done it.
“Russian Submarine Surfaced Beside Huge Hole Blown Open In The Ice Seen In Satellite Imagery. The Russian sub might have used a torpedo to blast apart the ice during a recent exercise to prove it could launch its missiles during a time of war.”
https://www.twz.com/39971/russian-submarine-seen-surfaced-beside-huge-hole-blown-open-in-the-ice-in-satellite-imagery#:~:text=In%20Satellite%20Imagery-,Russian%20Submarine%20Surfaced%20Beside%20Huge%20Hole%20Blown%20Open%20In%20The,during%20a%20time%20of%20war.
Nothing new here.
And who would crew them?
Trannies. Next question!
As the navy goes gay, the term “petty officer” takes on new meaning.
Apparently thousands of Canadians are lined up to join the military but the system can only process a couple of hundred per year.
Geographical deterrence for one. If Canada owns subs, then other countries should, by definition and for safety purposes, alert us if one of their own intended on passing thru. Secondly, Operational training of our sonarmen as well as tactical officers is only possible with with our own subs. Third, politics. Surfacing a sub for a port visit, say, in Manila, would send a certain type of message. Fourth: they’re just cool.
They can make all the promises they want, it will be the conservatives that will have to get things back on track.
Black face had no intentions of ever doing anything
Of course. This was simply an announcement to get Justatwit and his row of potted plants off the hook at the current NATO conference. And it’s not likely the CPC will do much better. PP is going to inherit a mountain of Trudeau debt, a Canadian taxpayer already taxed to the limit. Given all the other emergencies in every area of government, PP will have no time or energy to do much for the military.
I think that’s the plan. Commit to billions in new spending and leave the next government to fail to live up to the promises.
It’s all theater. It’s not like our Navy would ever be given orders to open fire. So buying junk that remains at dockside maintains a (relatively) cheap fiction for the uncurious Canadian public.
After touring a Canadian sub docked in Port Canaveral, our US neighbor who was a retired nuclear submarine captain expressed his astonishment at how bad it was. We told him we were surprised it made it there. Apparently if Canada has a submarine they can be part of the club of countries that have subs.
The purpose of the current Canadian Navy is to keep the shipyards in business.
Irving……and perhaps a little Davie once the French crowd Tabernak a few times for votes. Agree with Robert, this has more to do with regional politics, than keeping us free and safe.
We need the new subs to deliver the two billion trees and two million houses.
No voter gives a sh*t about defence spending, unless the grease is local. There are no votes swayed by tisk tisk from euros or yanks. Nobody cares. If the defence budget was zero, NO VOTER WOULD CAREv. The Chinese will own us in 20 years regardless.
Irving is salivating.
“A senior government official, speaking on background, said they could not confirm how much the plan will cost, how many boats will be purchased or when they will arrive.”
When I read that I thought of that old song in one of Groucho Marx’s movies, “Whatever it is, I’m against it.” Except in true keep-your-pension-alive bureaucratic form, that bit of parseltongue struck me as a “Whatever it is, I’m FOR it. (Until next Tuesday when everyone, including me have forgotten all about it.)”
Same for Sparkle Socks. He’s 100% by golly all in OR will never waver on everything … until he gets on the plane.
Here’s a minute or so of Groucho with “I’m against it”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHash5takWU
So is that where the West Edmonton submarines are going to?
Canada has already been conquered.
It won’t be the #Libranos gov’t which is tied to this boondoggle, it’ll be the next Conservative gov’t which will have to find a way of making this work, as it is there is no contract signed, and as others here have mentioned in the past few posts at SDA, the procurement process in tier 2 Canada is seriously broken.
It’s simply Vaporware for tier 2 Canada’s military. Think about this before rushing in to join Canada’s military. You’ll be retired before these are protecting broken Canada’s surrounding seas.
I expect it will be a decade before the idiots in Ottawa even make a binding decision as to who will build these, and then years more added as Canada ALWAYS plays the stupid game of having anything they order have a Canadian angle to it, as if that actually adds value to the process, like “CF-18” instead of “FA/18” jets, the Canadian version of the Colt AR15 … always has to be a piece of crap on top of it to declare it’s canadianneess as if that actually does anything for it except add years to the procurement process and a “C” prefix to the model number and funds in the back door to the Laurentian #Libranos.
There’s no question that building a submarine is beyond Canada’s capability. Everything new is. It’s all built with “new Canadians” and you get what you pay for.
Think anyone in the #Librano gov’t would consider buying into the UK – Australia US agreement to build nuclear subs “mostly for Oz”? The cost is now above $4.6 billion for the 5 new subs, I don’t know how much for the 3 Virginia Class submarines that Oz is buying for the interm. The US has said this is a “one-off” deal and no other countries are expected to be allowed in. Good thing, as nuclear subs are clearly past anything tier 2 Canada is capable of. The old diesel-electrics are a good example of Canadian subs.
So tier 2 Canada. Here’s a bowl of crap, enjoy it, enjoy it in dry dock as it’s not actually doing anything useful.
Maybe tier 2 Canada should build their own FA/35’s next? Can you imagine? Does Canada need CF/35’s to be built in the year 2124 ? That’s not a typo, that’s when tier 2 Canada would have these in the air.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AUKUS
Note towards the bottom of this link what the imbecile PM of tier 2 Canada said about this UK -Oz – USA agreement…
“Canada – The deal was announced in the midst of the 2021 Canadian federal election. Opposition politicians quickly attacked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over Canada’s exclusion from the partnership, to which Trudeau responded by stating that “This is a deal for nuclear submarines, which Canada is not currently or any time soon in the market for. Australia is.” Leader of the Official Opposition Erin O’Toole stated that he would seek to join the alliance if elected.”
Military Vaporware for tier 2 Canada.
Here we go again with the distractions!
Just a few days ago the knives were out for the prime joker and the liberals were in disarray, and just like magic the press starts talking about our NATO obligations.
I could not care less about it, I want to hear about the corruption and sleaze that this administration is up to right now. They need the boot.
Used submarines from Venezuela, no doubt.
Used Hungarian submarines, more likely.
Who are the #Librano MP’s who are working in cahoots with the Chinese Communist Party?
What Canadian secrets did Canada allow to be removed from the Winnipeg Lab during the covid times?
How about the half million dollars the Nova Scotia mass shooter was permitted to have, who approved this? Any charges for the RCMP who were shooting at the barn where Canadians were hiding?
There’s a list of a hundred things the #Libranos have hidden from the taxpaying public within tier 2 Canada over the past decade, and the media thinks we ought to now start paying up on what we promised to spend on NATO from 80 years ago?
Canada has the media it deserves. Canada has the gov’t it deserves. You’re on your own kids.
Plant a Victory Garden so you don’t starve to death during the coming shortages.
Ah prog symbolism, Canadians lap it up.
we need more subs like we need more hyperinflation
here’s a better idea – QUIT Nato and declare a policy of non-militarism
tell the neo-con WEF clowns we will no longer participate in the global imperialism
Spend some money arming and training a militia.
Arm the population, like the Swiss.
I vote with this being theater. 5 subs could be eliminated in short order under serious combat conditions. But staging the shit show creates an impression that delights those looking for any sign of life from what was Canada.
Canada was executed by domestic miscreants and malefactors. AKA liberals, NDP and greens.
Isn’t it against the law to even speak of something that will require oil?
There is no longer any fat to trim or strength to draw upon. That it is considered a serious effort to buy 5 subs is pretty solid proof. This will cost a lot and require no warm bodies.
BTW, remember when Chretien cancelled a billion dollar contract for helicopters?
That cost 1/2 billion and not one single thing did Canada receive in return.
This is deliberately cooking the books. Corruption that is called government bau. It has become standard fare and deemed to be above board.
So glorious leader is cornered and comes out with a huge announcement. When have I heard that before? As empty as the rest of the promises over the last nine years. no money, no timeline no specifics, one would almost assume it was conjured out of clear air. It is obvious that the Bureaucrats were not informed beforehand. And there is still 23% of the electorate that would vote for these clowns? Why?
15 months to stay on message
We’re committing to purchase many as 12 and as few as 0 of a practically obsolete submarine. I remember how this played out last time. If anything, this announcement makes us look like a bigger joke than we did before.
stupid purchase. Subs are useless for 99.999% of the tasks our military routinely performs.
What’s that, standing around?
Typical Liberal announcement. No idea how much it will cost, what the outcome will be, or when it will happen.
Most incompetent administration Canada has ever seen.
Can submarines protect Canada from the infiltrators headed for our country or help deport the ones already here?
(Note: Nothing against law abiding legal immigrants.)
Cold war era planning that is passe and obsolete, the liberal way a day late and a dollar short. The future is in drones and air to ground missiles.
Will these subs have “under-water” capability?
We should have nuclear subs; anything elese is pointless as their opponents need only wait them out.