LPC leadership race - 2025

[IKnowNothing]

I’m for that, at this point.



I’d technically prefer the Rafale over Gripen, for a number of reasons, many users, opportunity for significant reinforcement of Canadian aerospace working with Dassault (offsets giving US/Boeing the fuddle-duddle), operating the same platform as one of Europe’s big dogs, but in the end…lots and lots of Gripens…sure. At least 138.

While there's a certain pragmatic appeal to robustness / lower cost per flight hour in the brochures that strikes me as making a lot of sense for a serious but stretched thin manpower wise Canada- that addendum was just shit disturbing. You endorse King IKN's Scandic Rearmament Plan, you get your Rafale's. I also wonder how fast Airbus could get the 319 MPA to market.

 

[MilEME09]

Saab builds us Gripens in Canada

Funny thing about that plane, about 40% of its components are made in the US.

How i could see us shift?

Griffin replacement? AW149, throw in some AW249 attack helicopters too
Lead in fighter trainer? Korean T50
SPG? K9


lots of non US options

 

[Cloud Cover]

Funny thing about that plane, about 40% of its components are made in the US.

How i could see us shift?

Griffin replacement? AW149, throw in some AW249 attack helicopters too
Lead in fighter trainer? Korean T50
SPG? K9


lots of non US options

Saab has great engineers that can have parts built in Canada. It’s the radars, sensors, combat stores systems etc where we would be in trouble. Hell, even the wing pylons are ITAR US licensed items…

 

[MilEME09]

Actually scratch the Aw, airbus has a helicopter plant in Fort Erie Ontario, let's get that place rolling.

 

[Good2Golf]

Saab has great engineers that can have parts built in Canada. It’s the radars, sensors, combat stores systems etc where we would be in trouble. Hell, even the wing pylons are ITAR US licensed items…

They also have non-ITSR versions as well. ITAR isn’t as magical as many are led to believe. In some cases, Canada’s Controlled Goods Program can be more of a restrictor, believe it or not.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Sweden. They've got the know how of going it alone + export experience, and if we were serious about defense the scale of customer we would represent should get them sitting up at the table

We buy Archers, IF BAE Hagglunds builds BsV10's in Canada
We buy GlobalEye, IF Saab puts it on Bombardiers
We buy large stocks of THOR, MAPAM, the latest CG 84, RBS 70, IF Saab builds 60% of the order value in Canada
If we're going all in, maybe the Navy satisfices with A26 and Visby.

And the piece de resistance
We buy IRIS-T, Meteor, and RBS 15 IF....

Saab builds us Gripens in Canada

If we cant/wont buy America the Nordic countries should our next source.

 

[MilEME09]

If we cant/wont buy America the Nordic countries should our next source.

Increase our transport capacity for A400Ms

 

[YZT580]

Saab has great engineers that can have parts built in Canada. It’s the radars, sensors, combat stores systems etc where we would be in trouble. Hell, even the wing pylons are ITAR US licensed items…

which was one of the issues that sunk the Arrow. Couldn't sell it in Europe because the U.S. refused to sign off on the electronics

 

[Navy_Pete]

They also have non-ITSR versions as well. ITAR isn’t as magical as many are led to believe. In some cases, Canada’s Controlled Goods Program can be more of a restrictor, believe it or not.

There is a lot of really weird things labeled as ITAR, and trying to get them removed from that list can be an effort in futility. There are a lot of random fastners, that you can buy from Home depot that got labeled as ITAR because they are used on securing a whizbang cabinet somewhere.

The actual solution ended up being changing the drawing from the NSN part to a locally procured nut and bolt that met the tech specs, which is stupid (and unecessarily painful as well).

Our CG people are a bit nuts as well, and like to try and put everything that is 'dual use' as CG. Wasted a few months of my life getting the designation removed from a diesel engine on the MCDVs, (which is a non-combatant built to commercial standards) and finally ended when I sent them an ebay listing from the engine that was avaialble after it was taken off a train or something. It's gotten better as we've started to use more COTs items and use commercial equipment (with a CAF paintjob and some add ons) but tabernak it's frustrating.

 

[GR66]

I think it's a bit premature to go into full "hair on fire" don't buy anything US-made ever again mode. We need to tone down the panic level, focus on trying to figure out what actions we should be taking to address some of the legitimate concerns that the US may have with us in order to show American politicians that we are taking those concerns seriously.

Doing that probably won't be enough to stop Trump from implementing at least some form of tariff action against us but between showing that we are taking action and highlighting to US politicians/business leaders how the tariffs are hurting rather than helping their economy we may see enough pressure on Trump to reduce/remove the tariffs.

If that doesn't show results than we regretfully let them know that we are forced to put in place our own retaliatory and strategically targeted tariffs in response. That's when I think we should suggest that the very substantial military purchases that we will be making in order to contribute our fair share to the West's collective defence will unfortunately need to be directed to non-US sources due to the political climate.

We're not going to win a pissing match with the US if we go full ballistic anti-US in our rhetoric and actions. Giving Trump the metaphorical middle finger will make his responses personal/emotional and less likely to be influenced by the adults in business community that almost certainly don't want to see tariffs continue. We're trapped by our geography and the best possible outcome is a reconciliation with our closest neighbour and riding out the storm until Trump is no longer at the helm.

That being said, whether the situation is resolved or not we should continue to do whatever we can to diversify both our imports and exports in order to reduce the risks that American actions will have on our economy going forward. Just no need to declare anti-Americanism as the reason (and get their patriotic backs up) and just do it because it makes economic sense.

 

[Good2Golf]

Whoever wins the 2025 Running of the Snakes and becomes PM needs to be held accountable for the previous PM’s questionable use or prorogation, as well as continue the Standing Committee on Public Accounts investigation into the Sustainable Development Technology Canada scandal…

https://twitter.com/x/status/1890366750228611340

Government committee investigating the scandal, that PMJT conveniently scuttled when he prorogued government, but that PM Carney ( or Freeland/Gould/Dallah ) should continue to investigate.

 

[QV]

I think it's a bit premature to go into full "hair on fire" don't buy anything US-made ever again mode. We need to tone down the panic level, focus on trying to figure out what actions we should be taking to address some of the legitimate concerns that the US may have with us in order to show American politicians that we are taking those concerns seriously.

Doing that probably won't be enough to stop Trump from implementing at least some form of tariff action against us but between showing that we are taking action and highlighting to US politicians/business leaders how the tariffs are hurting rather than helping their economy we may see enough pressure on Trump to reduce/remove the tariffs.

If that doesn't show results than we regretfully let them know that we are forced to put in place our own retaliatory and strategically targeted tariffs in response. That's when I think we should suggest that the very substantial military purchases that we will be making in order to contribute our fair share to the West's collective defence will unfortunately need to be directed to non-US sources due to the political climate.

We're not going to win a pissing match with the US if we go full ballistic anti-US in our rhetoric and actions. Giving Trump the metaphorical middle finger will make his responses personal/emotional and less likely to be influenced by the adults in business community that almost certainly don't want to see tariffs continue. We're trapped by our geography and the best possible outcome is a reconciliation with our closest neighbour and riding out the storm until Trump is no longer at the helm.

That being said, whether the situation is resolved or not we should continue to do whatever we can to diversify both our imports and exports in order to reduce the risks that American actions will have on our economy going forward. Just no need to declare anti-Americanism as the reason (and get their patriotic backs up) and just do it because it makes economic sense.

The hair on fire hysterical response to all of this is because it’s Trump. I’m absolutely convinced if it were ANY person as potus, there would be a much different tone from Canada. Trump has a way about bringing certain types of people to hysteria.

 

[IKnowNothing]

The hair on fire hysterical response to all of this is because it’s Trump. I’m absolutely convinced if it were ANY person as potus, there would be a much different tone from Canada. Trump has a way about bringing certain types of people to hysteria.

Yeah totally. Its about Trump, not about the tens if not hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk.

Could you be more disconnected from reality?

 

[Lumber]

The hair on fire hysterical response to all of this is because it’s Trump. I’m absolutely convinced if it were ANY person as potus, there would be a much different tone from Canada. Trump has a way about bringing certain types of people to hysteria.

What you call "hysteria" the rest of us call an existential threat to our sovereignty, but I suppose with you salivating at the idea of us becoming the 51st state it would appear like hysteria to you.

 

[Brad Sallows]

What you call "hysteria" the rest of us call an existential threat to our sovereignty, but I suppose with you salivating at the idea of us becoming the 51st state it would appear like hysteria to you.

An "existential threat to our sovereignty" would be the US setting up bases and settlements on land and in waters we claim, and us not being able to do anything about it.

 

[Cloud Cover]

An "existential threat to our sovereignty" would be the US setting up bases and settlements on land and in waters we claim, and us not being able to do anything about it.

Or threatening thereof.

Which they are not.

And which we have no means to oppose, and little will to possess those means.

 

[QV]

Yeah totally. Its about Trump, not about the tens if not hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk.

Could you be more disconnected from reality?

I don’t recall this level of hysteria when (B) Clinton or Obama talked about cuts to the bureaucracy. Plenty of clips around the internet with them making those kinds of announcements.

 

[QV]

Every recent POTUS and many other NATO leaders have been encouraging Canada to step up as far as defence spending goes… Trump, it appears, is just more effective at getting the outcomes.

 

[suffolkowner]

Every recent POTUS and many other NATO leaders have been encouraging Canada to step up as far as defence spending goes… Trump, it appears, is just more effective at getting the outcomes.

did we do something?

 

[IKnowNothing]

I don’t recall this level of hysteria when (B) Clinton or Obama talked about cuts to the bureaucracy. Plenty of clips around the internet with them making those kinds of announcements.

Cuts to the American federal service dont gut the Canadian economy.