As events have developed, the nationwide rollout has been anything but a clear-cut victory, and Ontario, in particular, has received one of the worst provincial rankings.
For those who would argue that the Snowbirds are a good recruiting tool for the RCAF, the fact is the Snowbirds present a misleading image of what a modern air force actually does.
One would like to think that our military was attracting international attention for our professionalism rather than the fact that we have two top generals being investigated for sexual misconduct simultaneously.
In her dramatic exit from the military, Lieutenant Colonel Eleanor Taylor said she is hoping that her actions will bring about real change in the culture. For the sake of the institution, I hope she is right.
Reeling from these morale-crushing news stories, it is being hinted to the media that DND is about to create a new, more independent investigative service.
Gary Walbourne told the committee he expected the minister to 'do his job,' but by his own admission, Harjit Sajjan did take almost immediate action by notifying the Privy Council Office.
While the recent audit did not evaluate whether or not DND received value for these flights in return for the tax dollars spent, I think it is safe to say in this case the answer is a resounding 'no.'
The Ontario government knows that the optics of their vaccine distribution guy moonlighting as an arms dealer will not sit well with the public. Nor should it.
If these fanatical white supremacists, anti-Semites, and nut jobs see something in Trump that they absolutely adore, shouldn’t sane people question their own association with that same leader?
As a result of the CAF coming forward with the news of an accidental death in a timely and forthright manner, it precluded any wild speculation or false narratives getting a foothold in the media reports.
While I have no doubt that Kenderesi’s ramblings will garner not a single serving service member to heed his advice, damage to the public trust will be more difficult to repair.
As much as it seems to reassure us to have a uniformed soldier handing out vaccines, it would make more sense if that same delivery were made by a guy in a Purolator jacket.
Trump will still be president for another two months, which means he still has access to those levers of power which could shift global political fault lines for generations to come.
The last time I checked, the role of the Canadian military was to protect Canada and Canadian values, not to alter the mental state of Canadian citizens.
Those who bemoan the loss of a truly 'united states' and wish to make America great again need to know that the reality was far different than the historical myths some would have us believe.
One of the first things they should teach on these courses to eradicate sexual misconduct is just how far the military culture has already changed in just a few short decades.
If we were better informed on previous pandemics, it would prevent gaslighting politicians from trying to bamboozle the electorate with apple-to-orange comparisons.
One has to wonder if the Proud Boys membership has increased throughout the CAF since the 2017 Halifax incident, and, if so, are they, too, ‘standing by’?
Actions by the Canada-commanded NATO task force have an incalculable magnitude in terms of criminal liability as the killing and chaos continues to this day.
Allowing Erik Myggland to continue serving, despite knowledge of his abhorrent beliefs, only illustrates how far the Canadian Armed Forces still have to go to address racism in its ranks.
What is frightening for all of us who share the North American land mass is that for Donald Trump to portray himself as America’s firefighter, there needs to be a fire.
If anyone in high political office in Canada thought that our soldiers’ sacrifice in a U.S.-led unwinnable war would earn us a bargaining chip at trade talks, then they do deserve to be turfed from power.