Opinion Pieces
Letter to the Editor - Stolen Flags a Sad Commentary (Tribune, August 26, 2010)
Late in June of this year, three Canadian flags were stolen from three adjacent houses in Guelph during the night. The following day, police were informed but there was little they could do. A good friend of mine told me about this incident and we decided to supply new flags and poles for each house. They were gratefully received.
This past weekend, the Canadian flag that flies in front of our home was also stolen in the night.
I wore the Canadian flag proudly for 23 years in our country’s military. It allowed me to be respected and trusted when I served as a peacekeeper in the Middle East. And sadly, as funeral commander, I once had to give it to the mother of a deceased young serviceman.
The Canadian flag means an awful lot to me – as I’m sure it does to you as well. I wonder what it means to the cowards that stole it. I wonder if they know or care about the sacrifices and hardships men and women down through the years have given in defence of our national flag. But mostly I wonder what the future of our country will be when the very symbol of the country is treated with such sacrilege.
This type of behaviour was once unfathomable. Unfortunately in Guelph, it is becoming common. I encourage and applaud those who fly our flag in our community.
Marty Burke
Letter to the Editor re: the Conservative Government’s purchase of 65 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to replace our very much aging CF-18s (July 16, 2010)
As a former military pilot, present airline pilot, and hopefully the future Guelph Member of Parliament after the next election, I feel somewhat qualified to comment on questions surrounding the recent announcement by the government that Canada will purchase 65 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to replace our very much aging CF-18s.
Isn’t it too expensive? First of all, the cost is $9 not $16 billion. The $7 billion number, which continually gets thrown onto the pile, is a possible figure representing the cost of a 20-year maintenance agreement. Put it this way: if you walk into a car dealership to buy a car then are quoted an additional number that tallies the cost of insurance, routine maintenance, minor and major repairs over a 20-year life cycle you would rightly freak out. However, this is just the cost of doing business. Including it in the purchase price it grossly distorts the picture. And what would the cost be to continue to fly a somewhat upgraded CF-18 instead? Enormous, but a moot point anyway. The remaining CF-18s have less than 7 to10 years of service life left. They need to be replaced and, to meet lead-in, timelines today’s announcement was due.
Isn’t it too much capability for our needs? Well, what are our needs going to be in the year 2020 or 2030 or 2040? All we do know is that technology is changing rapidly in many areas- none more so with regard to fighter aircraft than the area of stealth or low radar reflectivity. The F-35 is the first flying “fifth generation” fighter. It won the competition to provide aircraft for the USAF, USN, and the USMC over a competing model. This is a a competition Canada was involved with from early days. Stealth technology is the vital improvement delineating this class.
We have always provided for our air force the best tools possible for the job. Our 1st generation jet fighter was the F-86 Sabre. The 2nd was the Canadian designed CF-100 Canuck. The third or “century” series was represented in Canada by the CF-101 Voodoo and the CF-104 Starfighter. The 4th or “teen” series was of course the CF-18 Hornet.
Make no mistake, the other types being bandied about as alternatives to the F-35 are all 4th generation or 4th generation plus a bit in terms of capability. They are not stealth aircraft. The do not have the multi sensor capability of the F-35. They represent a step sideways, not a step up. They will not match up well against aircraft now under development in Russia, China, and elsewhere. The only other stealth fighter flying in very early flight tests is the unproven Russian Sukhoi T-50. Obtaining this aircraft would provide very little in the way of interoperability with our allies (F-35 purchasers include the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, and The Netherlands) and I dare say very little if any industrial spin-offs for Canada.
Long gone are the days when a multitude of aircraft manufacturers provided a multitude of options for aircraft buyers. Sometimes there really is only one valid choice. A case in point is the C-17 Globemaster. Our government purchased four of them in a sole-sourced contract in 2006. It was the only aircraft then and now which meets the strategic airlift requirements of our air force. This has been demonstrated repeatedly in Afghanistan and earthquake stricken Haiti. A similar case can be made for the CH-147D Chinook purchase- the only heavy lift helicopter available for our troops in Afghanistan.
Isn’t having one engine dangerous? No. The two engine CF-18, using engine technology from the seventies, has had incredibly few incidents of engine failure over the past 27 years. Since then engine reliability has improved markedly. This is a fighter, not a passenger aircraft. Eject if you must!
Why would the Liberals cancel the purchase? Why indeed? Haven’t we seen this before?
In 1993, Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien cancelled the contract for the replacement of our Sea King shipborne helicopter and search and rescue Labrador helicopter. The penalty cost of cancellation was $500 million. The search and rescue helicopters were not replaced until 2001 and at great expense. The Sea Kings still struggle on– greatly weakening the role that our frigates and destroyers can play at sea. Their costly replacement is not due until 2013 with some interim helicopters arriving in late 2010. The cost of this cancellation and reorder has been enormous financially and enormous in terms of lost military capability. You pay for delay. Why would we repeat this horrible experience?
Military aircraft procurement is a far less complicated today. Ironically, this is because military aircraft are far more complicated. Fewer manufacturers in fewer countries with the means to develop such aircraft streamline the process. In this case, the F-35 is the best aircraft for the job and the only aircraft for the job. Decision well made.
Marty Burke
Conservative Party Candidate Guelph
Letter to the Editor sent in response to Frank Valeriote’s claims in “Expect election in the fall, says MP” (Tribune, June 22, 2010)
As the Guelph Conservative Party candidate in the next federal election, I feel compelled to respond to some of Frank Valeriote’s inaccurate claims in the recent article.
According to Frank, “nothing useful was accomplished during the (three and a half month spring) session”. Really? Canada is a country of immigrants and refugees. The recent refugee bill makes it much fairer and faster for
legitimate refugee claimants to enter Canada. It also makes it much more difficult for refugee system abusers to succeed. I believe this bill will have far reaching, positive implications for our country’s future growth. Regrettably, the usual internal Liberal squabbling caused Frank’s party to vote against this common sense legislation. The NDP, to their credit, and even the Bloc contributed positively toward and then voted in favour of this bill. This isn’t “useless”.
A free trade agreement with one of our largest trade partners in South America was passed. The Colombia Free Trade Agreement will allow new opportunities for growth at many Canadian (and Guelph) based manufacturing and agricultural companies. This isn’t “useless”.
We changed pardon legislation so the depraved Karla Homolka, amongst others, won’t be eligible for pardon. This isn’t “useless”.
We passed a budget bill, vital for the continued economic recovery of our country- a recovery which is leading the western world. This isn’t “useless”. In fact, money bills such as this are the cornerstone of governance.
Other legislation was processed and much more could have been done if the Liberal Party chose to be constructive rather than stonewall. At every procedural step of every bill this session, the Liberals in committee, the House, and the Senate regularly delayed and filibustered the business of parliament – the business of the people. Liberals ferociously bleat about all of the legislation proposed by the Harper Conservatives, then, in acts of colossal hypocrisy, sheepishly vote to support the government on votes that are a matter of confidence capable of triggering an election.
Why do they do this? They don’t want an election. Why? They are utterly unprepared. They don’t have a plan, a platform, money, organization, or a leader. If you can’t even run your own political party effectively, Canadians will not trust you to run their country.
I do agree with Frank on one point. If I am honoured with the privilege of representing the citizens of Guelph in Parliament, I WILL have no problem allowing MP expenses to be regularly reviewed by the Auditor-General’s
Office.
Marty Burke
Conservative Party Candidate Guelph
