What's Canada Buying? February 11, 2013

• “It’s an idea that stubbornly refuses to go away, despite its being a poor ideological fit with the Harper Conservatives’ downsizing bent, and a hobbyhorse of some of their fiercest critics: A new federal agency, the sole purpose of which would be to procure ships, planes, trucks, and all the other extraordinarily expensive and frequently controversial gear required by a modern military.  Within days, according to Ottawa insiders, the federal cabinet will be asked by Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose to consider a discussion paper, authored by senior bureaucrats in her department, that examines two core avenues for managing Canada’s pending military hardware purchases. Option one is to roll out individual “secretariats” for each successive procurement, as was done in the fall of 2011 for the Royal Canadian Navy’s new fleet of warships, and as is being done now, after much political ferment, with the RCAF’s fighter-replacement project.  Option two is to finally move ahead with a more dramatic, far-reaching reform advocated by some defence industry experts since at least 2009: To consolidate important functions currently carried out by an estimated 10,000 bureaucrats in three federal departments – Defence, Public Works, and Industry Canada – into a single huge new agency, under the aegis of a single minister. For taxpayers, the stakes could scarcely be higher: An estimated $240-billion in total federal defence purchases are projected over the next two decades ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1)  Mark Collins on “News flash from the Great White North: “Fighter jets are not snowblowers: the case for the F-35″ “
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2)  Former Canadian Conrad Black shares his ideas  “…. Canada should explore defence consortia with foreign groups, especially in regard to the acquisition of war planes; and if we stick with the F-35 fighter, we should ensure that we derive benefit from its production. There is no economic stimulus as effective and benign as national defence, nor any adult education program as effective as the Armer Forces. Canada will raise its influence in the world and its national self-confidence with a larger and more capable military, including some naval vessels that show the flag proudly. (We could show a little more panache with uniforms also.) ….”
• Wanted:  someone to tear down old buildings at former Camp Ipperwash for ~$648K
• Wanted:  someone to repair, overhaul Leopard tank fire supression systems - more here.

About these ads