The spectre of war

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As I predicted earlier in the month, February brought us unpleasant surprises both internally as internationally. When we look at our internal affairs we see a country deeply divided; emerging from a long and arduous pandemic with a clearly disoriented political leadership. As the provinces proceed to lifting the Covid-19 restrictions as they see fit, the federal Government insists on holding steadfast to them. Really the question is what is going on? Are we talking to each other? Are we united to help each other or not? This is a time of serious difficulties and great challenges in which we need to pull together in order to preserve our democracy and our country. The government continues to do whatever they like, while the loyal opposition is looking for answers and leadership to cope with these problematic times. We need unity, not political games at this time to effectively face our challenges. Are our politicians awake or sleeping? because events are unfolding rapidly and if not understood, our nationhood could be in danger. On top of our internal issues, Canada is faced with a rapidly deteriorating international situation. Russia just invaded Ukraine and the international community is on the ropes. Canada is in the middle of all of this and is taking measures as the allies in NATO are doing. This war can easily morph in a much more dangerous situation of a wider conflagration with dangerous players. As the situation is evolving rapidly with heavy costs in terms of lives and infrastructure, we the general public are just observers and hoping for the best; that the leaders of the world will come to their senses and avoid a world war. Certainly Canada is in a precarious position. Our Army at this time is small. Even if our soldiers are well trained, we are seriously lacking equipment. This is due to the years of neglect by successive Canadian governments, a lack of leadership of the general core, and a lack of understanding by scores of parliamentarians both past and present. I vividly remember when being member of the National Defence Committee I brought forward the dangers for Canada in Russia arming itself in the Arctic. I was bluntly dismissed as a person who does not know what he is talking about, despite the fact that I probably was the only member of Parliament at that time who had special military experience. Not only was I a veteran from Afghanistan, but by my previous military experience, I was probably the only serving member of the Canadian forces who understood the state of mind of the Soviet army doctrine embraced by the new Russian Army. Here we are today, facing a serious danger in the Arctic for Canada from our belligerent Russian neighbour. At his point let's be fair and recognize that our Air Force is in bad shape with outdated, second hand planes due to gross incompetence on the part of both politicians and civil servants. Our Navy is also in bad shape, with outdated surface combat elements and second hand submarines under eternal repair. Our Army is also lacking modern heavy armor, with tanks borrowed from other nations. So at this point we are heavily reliant on the United States for defending Canada. We really need to consider how our own national interests can be defended. We need to start relying on ourselves rather than others. Of course it is not only Russia's invasion in Ukraine that we should be watching. As all eyes of the European Union, European nations and the United States are focused there, China is watching carefully how events unfold. I have a feeling that China has a hidden plan that should be not underestimated. The situation with Taiwan is a dangerous one and the build up of their military in recent years is not signalling a desire for peace but instead world dominance. It is also significant that China has not condemned Russia's actions and may be waiting for an opportunity to flex its military muscles in the Pacific area of the world. That really will put the United States, Japan, Australia and others into a problem zone. In general, I see a myriad of economic sanctions imposed on Russia by a relatively united front. The results might be effective but these must be seen in the longer term. For the moment the situation on the ground in Ukraine is deteriorating in by the hour, and the supply of promised weapons from a myriad of nations might be too late. Diplomacy is not working anymore either, so the only hope is that cooler heads will prevail in the end. Otherwise, the usual rule of history is, that we know when we start the war, but we do not know how it ends. In conclusion my thoughts are with the innocent people who suffer the effects of this senseless war and we should support them with all our means to alleviate their suffering.