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By Jeff Jedras, on April 11, 2013, at 9:20 am It was shocking and troubling news when it broke two days ago: the federal government (it’s only called the Harper Government when it’s doing positive things) announced it would be ending the danger pay allowance for Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan.
The baffling news from a government supposedly all about the troops (unlike those other commie parties) provoked an immediately negative response, including from comedian and troop supporter (having made several trips to Afghanistan), Rick Mercer:
Harper govt cutting danger pay for soldiers in Afghanistan. bit.ly/16O5q1J – its safe now apparently. — Rick Mercer (@rickmercer) April 9, 2013
Mercer (Read more…)
By pogge, on July 12, 2012, at 12:15 pm Military truck purchase cancelled due to cost concerns
The federal government has slammed the brakes on a multimillion-dollar program to replace the military’s aging trucks.
…
Companies had until 2 p.m. ET Wednesday to bid on a contract for 1,500 new medium-sized logistics trucks for the Canadian Forces.
But Public Works emailed bidders three minutes before the deadline to let them know the contract has been cancelled.
This purchase was originally announced by the Harper Government™ in 2006, at which time the DND described the need as urgent. Six years later our mostly competent government just went back to square
. . . → Read More: Peace, order and good government, eh?: Mostly competent government
By polygonic, on April 12, 2012, at 7:25 am Duhhhhr! Ooonnggg… errrrggg….
Out of the mouths of babes.
It’s been an awkward delight watching Conservative spinmeisters trot out Plan A through Plan W in their Catalogue of Flimsy Excuses over the F-35 affair. Blaming bureaucrats didn’t cut it, even blaming the other parties hasn’t cut it. One waits with bated breath for Harper to find a new Guergis-figure he can throw under a bus and hope to be done with it.
Until then, Peter MacKay’s latest delicious position is that the $10 billion difference in Tory cost estimates and actual cost comes down to a simple “difference in accounting”
. . . → Read More: Polygonic: MacKay: We’re just as dodgy with our accounting as Sponsorship-era Liberals
By pogge, on April 4, 2012, at 11:52 am Michael Harris writing at iPolitics in the aftermath of the Auditor General’s report on the F-35 fiasco:
Since the finding that the Harper government was in contempt of parliament, it has all been downhill. The committee system is now like a perpetual meeting of the Skull and Bones society. When asked a question, no member of the government front bench seems to understand either of the official languages. When ministers are found in conflict of interest, the prime minister blows it off as unimportant. And now, after six years of stonewalling over the same issue that led to the contempt
. . . → Read More: Peace, order and good government, eh?: QOTD: On the F-35
By Jeff Jedras, on April 3, 2012, at 11:55 pm
The auditor general’s report Tuesday on the mismanagement by DND and the government of the F-35 is drawing major attention, and rightly so. But the fact is these revelations have largely been known for some time and all these objections raised previously — the Conservatives simply elected to ignore them.
I’ve blogged at length on the F-35 issue in recent years, and raised many of the same concerns, so I won’t repeat them at length here.
July 17, 2010: The Conservative $16 billion fighter jet boondoggle July 30, 2010: The Ruskies are coming! Conservative talking-points for stupid people
. . . → Read More: A BCer in Toronto: Mackay, Conservatives should wear F-35 boondoggle
By The Mound of Sound, on April 3, 2012, at 11:40 am Steve Harper, perhaps unwittingly, set out to be the Defence department’s butt boy and today he finds himself with a blinding hangover, lying in an alley in a pool of his own puke, surrounded by empty bottles and with his pants curiously down around his ankles.
The Auditor General, Michael Ferguson’s withering report on the horribly botched scheme programme to corral Canada into buying the overdue, overpriced and underperforming F-35 possibly stealthy light bomber exposes a culture of entitlement within the Department of National Defence of Harper’s own making.
Given the opportunity the Canadian military are a pack of liars.
. . . → Read More: The Disaffected Lib: Steve Harper’s "Culture of Entitlement"
By Jeff Jedras, on March 16, 2012, at 12:07 pm After several years of ignoring opposition warnings about the price, suitability and lack of competitive tender around the F-35 program, the Harper Conservatives are now finally beginning to admit what we’ve all known all along: this purchase isn’t set in stone, the F-35 program has issues, and this may not be the jet for us. (The fact they’re about to get slammed by the AG may be a factor.)After several years of belligerent “you’re with us or you hate the troops” rhetoric and Red Menace propaganda from Peter MacKay and Julian Fantino anytime someone raised very valid
. . . → Read More: A BCer in Toronto: This is an opportunity to reset the fighter jet procurement process
By Ryan Painter, on March 16, 2012, at 5:49 am Below is the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives Alternative Federal Budget. This specific chapter deails the CCPA’s Defence and Security suggestions for the upcoming federal budget. Enjoy Filed under: Canada Tagged: AFN, CCAP, DND, policy alternatives
By pogge, on March 5, 2012, at 8:55 am Officials at the Department of National Defence are defending their efforts in attempting to cover Peter MacKay’s butt when he took fire from the opposition over his own bad judgement…
…saying the process is no different than its efforts to gather facts for the public and news media.
A number of people quoted in the story make the same point. Gathering information for the public and news media is serving the public interest. Doing oppo research to supply the minister of defence with ammunition he can use to attack someone else in Question Period is serving the interests of a
. . . → Read More: Peace, order and good government, eh?: Dear DND: Not even close
By pogge, on February 24, 2012, at 9:28 am This isn’t the first time I’ve asked that question. On the previous occasion it was because he had been shown to have lied to parliament, which ought to be reason enough for a cabinet minister to stand down. But this time we have a situation that’s arguably much more serious.
OTTAWA–Military personnel were asked to dig up dirt on an opposition MP in the wake of revelations Defence Minister Peter MacKay was picked up in a search-and-rescue helicopter from a 2010 fishing trip, defence department records show.
The DND, along with law enforcement and above all other federal institutions, ought
. . . → Read More: Peace, order and good government, eh?: So when can expect Peter MacKay’s resignation from cabinet?
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