Three retired Canadian defence leaders say chief of defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre making the right move in sharing public statements about the challenges facing the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) around personnel shortages, aging equipment and operational readiness. This level of candor is not usually seen among military leaders when it comes to sharing issues … Read more
Defence Minister Bill Blair says it’s unlikely the presence of alcohol can be banned in the military as part of efforts to tackle sexual misconduct among members, but acknowledged it needs to be “managed in a responsible way.” Blair addressed the issue Wednesday as he provided an update on the government’s plans to implement the … Read more
Defence Minister Bill Blair says he is committed to pushing for increased investment in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) after two top commanders sounded the alarm recently on operational readiness. “Colleagues and shipmates, the [Royal Canadian Navy] (RCN) faces some very serious challenges right now that could mean we fail to meet our force posture … Read more
Defence Minister Bill Blair affirmed Thursday that weather-related disasters will be a large part of the renewed vision set to be laid out for the Canadian Armed Forces in a promised defence policy update. At the same time, the country’s defence chief says the military needs to be the “force of last resort” and called … Read more
Defence Minister Bill Blair will speak to reporters Monday afternoon about a new report expected to be released by the external monitor tapped to oversee culture change within the Canadian Armed Forces. Blair will speak to reporters in Ottawa around 3:15 p.m. Eastern. Global News will livestream his remarks here. Jocelyne Therrien’s report will be … Read more
Defence Minister Bill Blair is pushing the Prime Minister’s Office and the Department of Finance to boost defence spending ahead of the fall mini-budget. In an interview at the Halifax International Security Forum, Blair told reporters that he’s been “very clear” the Canadian Armed Forces needs more funding for Canada to meet its “aspirations.” The … Read more
Defence Minister Bill Blair says he recently instructed his team to rejig the Liberals’ long-promised defence policy update, so as to give industry more clarity on long-term spending plans. “As the world becomes an increasingly difficult and challenging place, we have to make those investments,” Blair told an industry conference on Wednesday. Blair told a summit held by the … Read more
The Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces are beginning the process of repealing regulations known as the “duty to report” as part of cultural reforms following the sexual misconduct crisis. The longstanding regulations require military members to report any kind of misconduct that violates the military code of service to the relevant authorities. … Read more