Cheryl Gallant, MP is calling on the federal government to stop wasting taxpayer dollars on useless studies and get on with the business of defending Canada’s interests at home and abroad. A real start would be to honour our commitment to NATO by investing the minimum two percent of GDP NATO feels is necessary to keep Canadians safe. Any increase should be used to pay some of the lowest paid DND workers a working wage.
The cleaners at Garrison Petawawa, Members of Local 639 of the Union of National Defence Employees, have been on the picket lines since July 24th. These workers and their families face a bleak Christmas. How is it Trudeau can find millions of Canadian taxpayer dollars to reward their friends, who write misleading reports about raising the liberal carbon tax, but refuse to set aside the proper funding for the basics like operations and maintenance on military bases. It would be a Christmas miracle for Trudeau to see the errors of his government.
Trudeau has made Canada a passive member of the NATO alliance. He seems to think that by reducing Canada’s commitment to collective security in a troubled world, that will buy him friends at the UN and a seat on the Security Council.
Canada would have to more than double current funding to meet the NATO benchmark of two per cent. As long as the current federal government pursues its policy of underfunding our women and men in uniform, Canadians will continue to be pushed around by international bullies like China. China is costing our agricultural exporters millions of dollars in lost sales. There are Canadian citizens being held in a Chinese prison. It’s a bleak Christmas for those Canadians being held in a Chinese prison.
The Western military alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is marking its 70th anniversary this year. As the MP of a riding that includes the largest army base in Canada, Garrison Petawawa, Cheryl Gallant takes a keen interest in NATO and the military affairs of our nation. There is no doubt that Canada’s international stature has decreased since the current government took office. Thanks to our courageous women and men in uniform and their contribution to our common security, Canada is appreciated internationally.