“CAF – Canadian Armed Forces”

Canadian special forces collected social media posts of a veteran as well as shared his private information without permission as they tried to strip him of his right to ask for government information, according to defence department records.

Documents shared with the Ottawa Citizen show Canadian Special Operations Forces Command claimed retired corporal Daniel Abboud was trying to intimidate its elite troops by asking questions about alleged wrongdoing and making posts on various social media platforms.

My intent is to offer some criticism of the status quo so that we can learn and then perhaps some sort of question period to get into some solutions. Essentially, in my opinion, ‘“Strong, Secure, Engaged”,’ the precursor to the current defence policy, delivered nothing substantive in terms of modern military equipment, which saw Canada, in fact, become weaker, more insecure, and essentially absent from the deployable stables of troops required for either United Nation missions, or, of course, NATO.

Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House comes with a sobering reminder of his February statement encouraging Russia to target NATO allies whose national defence spending does not meet NATO’s 2-per-cent guideline. Mr. Trump’s statement underscores the urgent need for Ottawa to take a stronger, more independent role in global defence. This direction should reflect Canadian values, bolster the economy, reassure our allies, and build essential capabilities to address both conventional and unconventional threats.

Which Canadians? Not the NDP, not the LPC.

Last month, while we noshed on southern-style fried chicken at a roadside eatery in Augusta, Ga., our upbeat waitress informed me she was joining the army to go to dentistry school. “Yeah, the military will pay my tuition, and then I’ll serve,” she explained. “It was a great career path for my dad.”

J.D. Vance, America’s vice-president-elect, tells a similar story. After high school, Vance enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Using the G.I. Bill — a law that provides benefits for military veterans — Vance went on to study at Ohio State University.

Former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Derek Burney is calling Canada a “laggard,” and says the country needs to do “major work” on its defence spending if it wants to be taken seriously on other issues with the United States.

“If we expect to get any attention in Washington at all on anything, we’ve got to do major work on our defence capabilities,” Burney told CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, in an interview airing Sunday. “I mean, it really is dismal.”