The Canadian political system has an interesting level of accessibility to those whom it serves. One of these levels of accessibility is the right for citizen(s) to present a petition to Member(s) of Parliament when they have a grievance. While not required to, many MPs feel obliged to read the petitions before a session, regardless if they represent the issue or riding. What follows is a petition I will be forwarding to some MPs as a public petition. Have a read through and if you agree, and are a Canadian citizen, resident or visitor, please consider adding your name below in the comments to be included when submitted. Note; given the nature of the content I’m not sure the petition is eligible to be certified, something I’m hoping some MPs may clarify. If anything, the content should spur public discussion of the subject. Prices are vague estimates and will NOT be included in the official petition to Parliament.
PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
IN PARLIAMENT STANDING
We, the undersigned, residents and citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House to the following:
THAT,
Our country has established itself as an international beacon in the establishment and preservation of peace. Our armed forces are respected world wide. We are proud of those brave souls who put themselves into harm’s way daily in defense of our nation and our sovereignty. Unfortunately, recent international events have given rise to the need for a more capable, properly equipped military to ensure that Canada, her freedoms and her sovereignty, remain secure. Our brave men and women in uniform deserve the utmost diligence when procuring the tools which enable them to perform their duties. Many of our nation’s military branches have been plagued with aged equipment, often in disrepair. Canada’s great north and her proud people there have been left with little modern equipment to defend our Arctic sovereignty.
This House has made some preparations to provide tools and equipment to our armed forces. However, we believe the expenditure of funds towards the F-35 program to be a disservice to Canada and her armed forces. The F-35 program and its expected costs, in excess of 35 billion, are an ineffective use of much needed military funding and modernization.
THEREFORE,
Your petitioners call upon Parliament to immediately cancel Canada’s continued involvement in the F-35 program, including the procurement of jets for the RCAF. We also pray the House considers using the current funds as designated by the crown in the following manner, as determined by the Department of Defense, to modernize our military as a whole.
- Procure F-18F SuperHornet fighter jets. ($17 billion) We pray the House issue an order for 65 F-18F SuperHornet multi-purose fighters for the RCAF. F-18F fighter jets are a combat proven direct upgrade to our current force of CF-18s. At half the cost per unit, and with a decade of proven combat superiority, RCAF could procure and utilize this excellent jet almost immediately. Additionally, given the similarities in airframe and design, this jet would require minimal retraining of our mechanics and pilots. This again would expedite bringing new jets into Canada’s air force. We submit that current CF-18s could be redistributed to areas in Canada’s north to bolster our defense and significantly boost the operational capabilities of the RCAF.
- Procurement of naval equipment. ($13 billion) We pray the House use surplus funds to purchase the construction of several new Destroyer level vessels and several long range submarines. Additionally, we pray the House consider the procurement of several combat ready ice breakers to establish our Arctic sovereignty. Our nation is blessed with three beautiful shores providing rich resources and natural beauty. It is our obligation to protect the Canadians who make our shores their homes and livelihood. It is our obligation to preserve the freedom of our nation’s waterways and oceanic sovereignty.
- Procurement of helicopter, support vehicles. ($2 billion) We pray the House procure modern combat and support helicopters to replace our aged and dwindling fleet. Our armed forces needs to reduce its reliance on foreign support vehicles.
- Supply Canadian Rangers. ($1 billion) We pray the House provide our Canadian Rangers forces to the north with the tools essential to defending Canada’s Actic sovereignty. This includes issuing the same standard equipment other infantry of Canada’s armed forces receive. We pray the House includes funding, at the discretion of the Department of Defence and the crown, to establish several permanent northern bases for persistent military operations across our northern tundras.
- Universal increase in base salaries. ($500 million) We pray the House increase the current pay scheme of the Canadian Armed forces. Our men and women in uniform are invaluable to Canada’s freedom and her sovereignty. Their recompense should reflect that in no small way. We also pray the House increase the base salary to $5,000 less the national average, or $43,928 as of 2013. Our national heroes should not struggle to provide for their families while they serve our nation.
- Additional equipment upgrades. ($1.5 billion) We pray the House commits to complete the upgrade of equipment currently implemented. We pray an expedited procurement of modern tanks,armored personnel vehicles and other equipment, as specified by the Department of Defense, to continue to enable our armed forces in their defense of Canada and her sovereignty.
SIGNATURES
Represented by comments below.
I agree
This is a great idea and I would also suggest saving up for some aircraft carriers.
Hears an idea, let’s get both, f35 are better they use stealth technology unlike the hornet, get a good mix of the two, they are both great but I think we need to keep up with modern technology , come on Canada let’s stop being cheap and dragging our heals! We have a strong economy and should rely on our friends to stick up for us, that’s not what being a nato member is about, we should all be capable of pulling our weight at the least, we are proud of our country, let’s act like, stop whining, if we are going to say “strong, proud” let’s act like it, 2% gdp is a reasonable contribution!! We are a good country let’s have the backbone to go with it!
I agree. Canada does not need the financial burden the F-35 brings. However, let us go further to include the Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft in the petition. While the Super Hornet proves superior for air-to-ground operations, the Gripen dominates the former in air-to-air combat and can operate from unprepared runways which would be a huge advantage for the Royal Canadian Air Force, especially in northern Canada conditions. Each aircraft is approximately $65 million USD and 40 of each would be even less than the procurement of the F-35, and we would attain 80 fighter interceptors easily.