A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is the new Canadian experience. Its influence is felt in every city, every board room, every restaurant on Sparks Street. We must not fail to comprehend its glorious patriotic implications. We must never let the weight of our liberties and democratic processes endanger this huge industrial and military machinery of defence. It will shape the very structure of our society. In the councils of government we must strengthen the power and influence, overt and covert, of the military-industrial complex. So let’s throw some money at it as quickly as possible.

That’s a real change of pace from 2030.

Good. When your neighbour is threatening you and stripping away their own citizens’ rights, you shouldn’t be wasting time.

I couldn’t agree more! Our 85 F18s and 14 Auroras came into service in the mid-1980s. The 12 Halifax-class frigates entered service in the early 1990s. Whatever works for the Army these days must be at least a decade old. And every one of these systems is starving for people to operate and maintain them.

It is delusional to think our current capabilities are anywhere near adequate to defend our 5000 km land border, much less the increasingly accessible arctic lands and waters. Literally we cannot ramp up in time to meet the need, but we have to try! Better late than never.

I think you missed their sarcasm.

Moving the Coast Guard from Fisheries to DND is a sneaky way to add $2.5 billion to the defense budget without actually spending more money…

I hope we will develop our own defense capabilities instead of feeding the profits of American war machinery.

I don’t think so. But for anyone who didn’t get the reference (idk if they still teach that in grade 10 history class) the relevant excerpt from the original speech can be found here. Imagine a world where politicians talk like that.

Did not catch that. Thanks.

I re-read. You may be right!