Could Canadian military leadership be a US fifth column?

 

A contradiction: Donald Trump’s annexation threats have ever more Canadians fearful of the country to our south; simultaneously, those tasked with “defending” Canada seek to bolster the US military.

Polls show Canadian attitudes towards the US have declined precipitously in response to Trump’s insults, border musing and annexation threats. Thirty percent of Canadians now see the US as an “enemy” nation. Attitudes towards the US are now on par with longstanding official enemies Russia and China.

But, as hostility to the US grows, the Canadian military leadership is deepening its support for the US. Last Friday the Ottawa Citizen reported, “Canada’s military leadership is pushing for yet another sole source deal for American equipment despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s vow to economically damage this country and eventually annex it as the 51st state.”

The military leadership justifies its support for the US on the grounds they’ve previously assisted the US. In a recent column Alex McColl, author of CF-39 Arrow II: A Swedish Solution to the CF-18 Replacement Problem, highlights the self-perpetuating cycle of US dependence promotion. At the end of February, he writes, a “senior RCAF [Royal Canadian Air Force] officer argued that we had to keep the F-35 because it works with the Boeing P-8. The RCAF had previously argued that we had to sole source the Boeing P-8 because it works with the F-35.”  (more...)

Could Canadian military leadership be a US fifth column?