The Charlottetown Gaurdian - February 15, 2005
By Colin Kenny
What’s a country for?
To offer a distinct cultural setting for its people? Sure. To offer it’s people a chance to grow and prosper? Certainly.
But to accomplish these ends, we must remember the first role of any national government: to offer individuals enough physical protection within this chaotic world of ours to build their individual lives, and their communities, as best they can.
Through a combination of luck and planning, we Canadians have been quite good at that. We see ourselves as something of a haven from the world’s troubles, and it’s true, we have been.
Which has lulled Canadians into complacency about defending themselves against natural and man-made disasters in a manner not dissimilar to the way the south Asian countries devastated by the recent tsunami were lulled by the belief that the Indian Ocean was less vulnerable than the Pacific Ocean to seismic shocks.
Take terrorism. Americans have been spooked by the threat of terrorism since Sept. 11, 2001, but then the U.S. is clearly Enemy No. 1 to most middle east terrorists. Canadians tend to be more sanguine.
Should we be? I think so. If places as divergent as Kenya and Bali have been hit hard by terrorists, you can be sure that Canada is somewhere on the target, both geographically and philosophically close to the bull’s-eye.
And even if Canada never gets hit by terrorists, we are far too dependent on the world around us for both trade and security to presume can live safely and prosperously in an unsafe world?
We Canadians have allowed our two primary contributors to world stability – our military, and our foreign aid infrastructure – to atrophy. In essence, we live in a very nice house, but we’ve decided to cancel the insurance, skimp on repairs, and spend the money on other things.
Which brings me to why the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence was in Charlottetown for hearings last week. Our committee, hosted by Senator Percy Downe with a much-appreciated contribution from former senator Archie Johnson, was privileged to listen to some very fine minds on these issues during those hearings. We were also pleased that a good number of Islanders came to watch. Some have since sent us their views on what they heard and what they believe.
The committee is embarking on a big mission – a review of Canada’s defence policy. The government itself is reviewing its foreign and defence policies. But we on the committee see ourselves as objective observers of government policies, initiatives and lack of initiatives. It is likely that our conclusions will challenge at least some of what the government offers up.
We need to know what sorts of things Canadians want their military to do. We need to know whether Canadians are willing to spend – by the committee’s estimate – an extra $130 per citizen to get the military to the point that it can fulfill its international obligations and still defend Canada.
We need to know whether Canadians still believe that it is better to try to engage aggressors far from our shores – at a safe distance – or whether we should pull back and prepare to face danger at home, when it comes to us.
We need to know whether peaceful Canadians – the vast majority – now recognize that when aid organizations are coming under fire abroad, it is important to have a strong enough military to protect them? Or should we just stay out of danger zones altogether?
Defence reviews do not come along very often – Canada’s last one was in 1994. We cannot forge good government policy on defence unless Canadians of all stripes – whether they be doves, hawks, or thoughtful combinations of the two – speak their minds and spark a truly national debate.
We are offering a community with a proud military tradition to speak its mind on an issue critical to all Canadians. Charlottetown is home to the HMCS Queen Charlotte, the P.E.I. Regiment, and the 721 Communication Regiment. Thousands of young men and women from this region served in two world wars and Korea, and have continued to serve in peacekeeping and peacemaking missions ever since.
Committee members see Charlottetown as a repository of thoughtful voices on these important issues. So please send us your thoughts at kennyco@sen.parl.gc.ca
We need your help. Canada needs your help.
Senator Kenny chairs the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence.