Top admiral says Canada’s navy in ‘critical state’ with low staff, resources
Global News
The comments by Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee are an unusually blunt expression of unhappiness from the military over the state of the armed forces.
Canada’s understaffed and resource-stretched navy is in “a critical state” and might not be able to carry out its basic duties next year, the top admiral said in a YouTube video released this week.
The comments by Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee are an unusually blunt expression of unhappiness from the military over the state of the armed forces. Canada only spends about 1.3% of its annual gross domestic product on defence, much less than the North Atlantic Treaty Organization target of 2%.
In the video, which runs just under six minutes, Topshee said the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) had not hit its recruitment targets for more than a decade.
“Colleagues and shipmates – the RCN faces some very serious challenges right now that could mean we fail to meet our force posture and readiness commitments in 2024 and beyond,” he said.
“The situation is serious but our problems are not unique and I know that the air force and army are facing similar challenges,” he continued.
The West Coast fleet is “beset with a shortage of qualified techs” which means ships cannot meet operation and maintenance targets, he said.
The Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to cut $1 billion from the defence budget as part of a fiscal restraint package.
Chief of the Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre, Canada’s top soldier, told legislators in late September that this had prompted a “very difficult session” with commanders of the various services.
Six in 10 Canadians said they are looking to buy a new car in the next five years, with more than three-quarters worried that U.S. trade tensions will make vehicles unaffordable
Sunny Hundal and his father were awaiting a patient transfer when his wife called to inform him a man she thought was her father-in-law had arrived, but it was another man.
Halifax Regional Police say a 31-year-old man is facing impaired driving charges, as well as firearm-related charges, after a fatal collision in Dartmouth, N.S. on Saturday night.
In a Quebec courtroom last October, Sylvie Desjardins delivered a message to her daughter's killer that was 30 years in the making.
A CN Rail train derailed on Sunday in Winnipeg's South Osborne area, with eight cars tipping over and a ninth remaining upright. Officials say there is no threat to public safety.
The taiga flycatcher has never before been seen in Canada. At least, not until this holiday season when a bird watcher spotted the rare avian specimen in a Vancouver park.
The wife of an Edmonton man who died in a hospital ER room after waiting more than eight hours says she will do whatever it takes to find justice for her husband.
Snow, freezing rain and high winds are expected in various parts of Canada, with multiple warnings and special weather statements in effect across the country.
Prime Minister Carney announced $2.5 billion in support for Ukraine during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Halifax, reaffirming Canada’s commitment to Ukraine’s defence.
Freezing rain is set to hit parts of Ontario and Quebec as a powerful winter system brings blizzards, blowing snow and extreme cold to much of Canada.
Nineteen Haitian migrants, including young children, were arrested in southern Quebec on Christmas after illegally crossing from the U.S. in extreme cold.
Annette Dionne, the last of the famous ‘Dionne Quintuplets’ died in a suburb of Montreal on Wednesday, at the age of 91. Dionne’s death was first reported by the New York Times. A family spokesperson, told the publication she died due to complications related to Alzheimer’s disease. The Dionne Quints Home Museum in North Bay,...
Health minister Marjorie Michel says she cannot trust American health institutions as reliable partners for Canada's future, citing misinformation as a major concern.