Just think how much Canada could boost defense spending by shifting the budgets for all manner of random departments to National Defense.
Bartlett said one of the reasons Canadian GDP won’t get a boost is that shifting spending from other departments likely helped Canada hit its target. For example, the Coast Guard budget was moved from Fisheries and Oceans to Defence.
One of the best visuals of the US vs Canada's military strength.
I had no idea just how ill-equipped we really were. We should be incredibly thankful that they are our neighbors. pic.twitter.com/gUykBF7wdT— Ryan Gerritsen🇨🇦🇳🇱 (@ryangerritsen) March 28, 2026
Where the foxes caper unmolested, the government packs your school lunch, and they have to make decisions with what they’ve got…
I kid you not. Defence Secretary John Healey *DOESN'T KNOW* how many frigates and destroyers the UK has at its disposal.
I have never seen anything like it. This interview should IMMEDIATELY end John Healey's political career.
Terrifying.
Absolute car crash. pic.twitter.com/NCYSlxdFba— Lee Harris (@LeeHarris) March 26, 2026
Related: Then why hasn’t my nephew flown his helicopter in 4 months because they can’t get parts for it?
And let slip the Warthogs of war.
A-10 Warthog unleashes precision fire in combat footage.
New video shows U.S. airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed militants during operations in Iraq. pic.twitter.com/Z0WdOd7wis
— Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) March 19, 2026
I would suggest a headline change to “Carney buys votes in Quebec and Ontario“. That aside, wouldn’t it be cheaper to just buy 155 mm artillery shells from places that already make such a commonly available munition? It’s also worth asking if this is a case of governments getting ready to fight the last war.
Ottawa will pump more than $1 billion in public funds into new facilities in Ingersoll, Ont., and Repentigny, Que., for heavy munitions used in artillery.
Related, from Kate: 10 massive Canadian federal projects (2010-2025) that delivered almost ZERO benefits or were never built
Asking for a friend.
Juno News- Military wants to recruit foreign pilots to fly new F-35s with new immigration stream
@bcbluecon – Canada’s military will soon look like Canada’s mall security staff.
Awkward.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
🚨 WATCH: President Trump says details of the Greenland deal will be revealed soon as the framework nears completion.
TRUMP: “Well, the deal is going to be put out pretty soon and you we’ll see.”pic.twitter.com/HRfATdGqRl
— Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) January 21, 2026
Canada’s top general might want to start a new career in standup comedy. She’s got a few one-liners that are guaranteed to get some laughs.
And like all the militaries in the world … especially when we’re looking at our allies, we’re going to be ready to go as-is.
All of our services right now are crafting and positioning themselves to be able to take the additional number of people coming in. …Everybody is all-hands-on-deck in doing that. It’s quite exciting, I have to say.
“President Donald Trump revealed the Trump-class battleships Monday at his Palm Beach estate, joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. These 30,000-ton vessels upgrade from current destroyers with more missile tubes, space for hypersonics, railguns, and lasers, aiming to build two initially and scale to 20-25 amid China’s naval growth. The White House calls it a Golden Age for defense to modernize the aging 287-ship fleet, though critics like former Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery question the $5 billion-plus designs’ focus on aesthetics over lethality against China.” – Grok AI
More at Naval News. John Konrad reacts.
Reporter: “What are you doing with the [Venezeulan] oil you seized?”
“We’re going to keep it.”
Ottawa Citizen- Canadian military will rely on an army of public servants to boost its ranks by 300,000
Federal and provincial employees would be given a one-week training course in how to handle firearms, drive trucks and fly drones, according to the directive, signed by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan and defence deputy minister Stefanie Beck on May 30, 2025.
Blacklock’s- Plan In Case Of War: “Leave”
The Canadian Coast Guard has orders to avoid all military conflict though it’s now under military supervision, a senior officer yesterday told MPs. “If there were anything, we leave,” testified Deputy Commissioner Marc Mes.
Take that Putin!
The Duran- Burevestnik negates US geography advantage
EXTENDED VERSION: The Chairman and I felt the need for speed with TOPGUN at Naval Air Station Fallon. Incredible Americans! pic.twitter.com/i6O1tjnRyW
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 22, 2025
UK Sun- Staggering number of troops are too obese for combat
Of the military’s 147,300 service personnel, 40,063 were at “increased, high or very high risk” of ill health owing to their weight in the past year.
Blacklock’s- McGuinty Takes Coast Guard
Cabinet yesterday transferred control of the Canadian Coast Guard to the defence department under Minister David McGuinty. It followed a 2024 audit that complained the maritime service fell into disrepair when managed by the Department of Fisheries.
The transfer followed a 2024 Evaluation Of Fleet Procurement And Maintenance that rated the Coast Guard obsolete. “The Canadian Coast Guard fleet is aging as vessels approach and exceed their intended end of service life,” said the report. “Across the fleet 30 percent of vessels have less than five years left until they reach their end of service life.”
Toronto Star- Federal government begins to transfer Coast Guard to National Defence
Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Army, died at the age of 81, in Boise, Idaho.
The concept of troops going to the battlefield in armored vehicles may well be a thing of the past, if this YouTube video is any indication. In the Ukraine today, supplies going to the front have to be transported not by vehicle but by drone. It’s simply impossible to get supplies there by any other means, given the nearly impossible task of running a gauntlet of drone swarms. This ought to serve as a lesson to those in charge of determining defense spending priorities.
Blacklock’s- Suspensions Were Symbolic
The Department of Foreign Affairs says last year it suspended 34 permits to ship military goods to Israel. Reminded of its repeated statements that Canada never exported “lethal items” to Israel, a department spokesperson confirmed the suspensions were largely symbolic.
Cabinet has repeatedly stated no Canadian weaponry has been shipped to Israel in decades. “We haven’t exported arms to Israel in 30 years,” International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen told reporters in 2024.