By Arnold Malone
Pioneer Columnist
Except for times of war, many people do not attach a lot of importance to our Canadian Forces. In fact, there are some who ask, “Why do we even have such a heavy tax funded agency.” The answer is crystal clear in the first principle of our Forces; “To protect Canadians against the unexpected.”
What follows is some boiled down examples of what our Forces do in unexpected situations.
When the Great North American Ice Storm of 1998 raised havoc in Quebec, Ontario and parts of the Maritime Provinces it was our Armed Forces that used their logistic skills to aid the affected.
More than a million homes were without power, some cities lost their water pumping ability, farm animals lacked water, millions of trees were trashed, 1,000 electrical towers were collapsed, and our Armed Forces were a major responder in the re-construction.
When floods occurr our Armed Forces are frequently called upon to use their skill and efforts to transform a difficult situation. When persons are lost, it is often the Forces that undertake the search and rescue missions.
During this COVID -19 pandemic, it is not unusual that governments have turned to our Forces to manage the distribution of vaccines. Our Forces have the logistical training to move items and personnel, and they do it with amazing efficiency.
The above examples are matters that you will already know about because they are apart of news coverage. What follows are a couple of examples, from a list of many, that are not so widely known.
In Shearwater, Nova Scotia, there is an Armed Forces base that, in part, has a two-story building about 30 feet wide and about 120 feet long that is crammed full of computer screens. It is row upon row of screens with aisle so narrow it is difficult for staff to pass one another. Each screen portrays shimmering lines that transform into an image of a ship that passes within view. From this image, they can identify the ship’s county of origin and frequently the ship’s name.
Along the boundary of Canada’s national waters (the two-hundred-mile limit), there are thousands of buoys that either float or are tethered to the ocean floor that identifies ships entering our waters. Ships, like planes, must file a precise travel plan to enter our Canadian territory. Any ship that attempts to enter our waters that appears to be doing so without a plan is suspect, and the Coast Guard is discharged to investigate.
The purpose is to stop smuggling of produce. In the years that I had the privilege of Chairing the National Defence Committee our forces intercepted an estimated eleven billion dollars of street value illicit drugs. Most were intended to pass through to the USA.
Our all-party committee also inspected our Forces’s equipment on the west coast. The only seats were in the flight deck and the stationary office chairs that sat in front of the many computer screens. The Aurora Aircraft had numerous infrared (thermal) cameras. Near the western boundary of our Canadian waters, there were two ships sitting side-by-side. A gang-plank connected the ships. Persons were observed carrying boxes from one ship to the other. This investigation was the work of our Canadian Forces.
Two days later, while having breakfast in a Vancouver hotel, I read that the RCMP made a series of arrests for drug smuggling. No mention was made of our Armed Forces. They protect us in so many ways but rarely is their work covered by news outlets. They are the silent workers who daily protect our safety and sovereignty. They do not need to be at war to be important to our well-being. It is our Forces that allow us to sleep with ease.
Arnold Malone served as MP for Alberta’s Battle River and Crowfoot ridings from 1974 through 1993. He retired to Invermere in 2007.
