Harper at Legion in Kitchener Today!

Surprise Press Conference At Kitchener Legion

Prime Minister Harper addresses Canadian Veterans

Harper Government Delivers

Veterans' Bill Of Rights

The Polish Legion on Wellington Street Kitchener was packed with veterans bearing their medals of honour. A reminder of battles fought, comrades lost, and to some, years of living with disabilities without adequate financial resources and meaningful, effective representation.
Today Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s announced that Canada’s New Government is following through on its commitment to create a Veterans’ Bill of Rights and a Veterans’’ Ombudsman. The announcement should mean that Veterans past present and future will be treated with respect and not end up the forgotten ones when the fighting stops.
“The brave men and women of the Canadian Forces and RCMP have always acted courageously when called upon; and it’s because Veterans have always been willing to stand up for our country and its interests, Canada’s New Government is standing by them now,” said the Prime Minister.
The Bill of Rights will take effect immediately; will strengthen the government’s ability to respond quickly and fairly, to the concerns of Canada’s Veterans. It is a clear and concise statement that will allow Veterans Affairs to continue to ensure every Canadian veteran is treated with respect, with dignity and with fairness.
The Ombudsman, whom is yet to be chosen, will operate at arms-length from the government, and will play an important role in raising the awareness of the needs and concerns of Veterans. The Ombudsman will submit a report to the Minister on an annual basis, which will be tabled in Parliament.
“Our Veterans have given their very best to Canada,” said Prime Minister Harper. “Through the Veterans’ Bill of Rights and Veterans’ Ombudsman, our government is taking yet another step to ensure that Canada does its very best for the,” he said in closing.
A symbolic presentation was then made by the Prime Minister and Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson to a local Veteran.

Note: Unfortunately, PM Harper did not define Veteran in his speech. Who is he referring to? We can assume it is all Veterans - from WWI to present soldiers returning from Afghanistan, but we need to know.

That's Cool... Tanks!

Canada to Lease New Tanks for Afghanistan

A Leopard tank of the Edmonton-based Lord Strathcona's Horse,

attached to ISTAR squadron in southern Afghanistan,

returns to a Canadian Forces mountain base after

assisting a patrol on the lookout for Taliban insurgents.

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OTTAWA — A federal cabinet committee has given the green light to the lease of 20 state-of-the-art tanks to replace aging armoured vehicles in Afghanistan.

The cabinet priorities and planning committee approved the lease of the German-built Leopard A6M tanks last week, said a Defence Department source, who asked not to be named.
The recommendation, which is unlikely to be overturned, is now on Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s desk for final approval.
The news Tuesday came as Gen. Andrew Leslie, the country’s top army officer, said he might have to consider pulling existing tanks — which don’t have air conditioning — out of service in Afghanistan this summer because of the heat.
He also told troops in Kandahar to expect a decision from the prime minister on the new tanks within a week.
The new tanks have air conditioning, as well as improved protection against road-side bombs and suicide vehicles, both of which have been packing progressively bigger punches lately.
The army has a handful of older Leopard tanks, which are currently doing duty in western Kandahar as part of NATO’s Operation Achilles.
The deal, which apparently includes access to ample spare parts, also gives Canada the option to purchase an unspecified number of additional tanks at a later date.
Reports last winter suggested that in addition to a lease, the army wanted to purchase 80 new Leopards, but the source said that number is likely to be scaled back.
Harper wouldn’t bite on questions about the future of the vehicles.
“Cabinet has been discussing the tank issue and we’ll have an announcement on that shortly,” he said in Kitchener, Ont.
Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor, in Montreal for a speech, said he wasn’t aware the issue was resolved.
A Defence Department spokesman didn’t deny that a lease arrangement has been struck.
“We are exploring a number of options to address an operational requirement,” said Lt. Adam Thomson. “However, we have nothing to announce at this moment.”
The defence source could not say how much the arrangement was worth, but brand new Leopard tanks cost roughly US $6 million each.
Currently, the army has 17 of its old 45-tonne tanks patrolling the desert and dirt roadways of rural Kandahar. The biggest drawback to the vehicles is their lack of air conditioning in a climate where daytime summer temperatures soar above 50C.
Defence Department researchers have looked at installing air conditioners in the vehicles but that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per vehicle.
Another idea proposes to give tank crew cooling vests — the same kind used by professional race car drivers — but they would be cumbersome when layered along with existing body armour.
Aside from the comfort factor, the lease of new tanks is seen as a more cost-effective solution, said the defence source.
Alex Morrison of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies said buying new equipment is better than retrofitting.
“It just makes more sense,” he said. “This is a decision that’s been in the mill for at least the last seven months.”
New Democrat defence critic Dawn Black said she’s not opposed to the lease arrangement, but only because it means tank crews won’t have to roast.
“I think it was irresponsible to deploy them, knowing they weren’t suitable for the climate,” she said.
In February, a policy think-tank produced a report that criticized Canada’s deployment of tanks to Afghanistan, saying the 1970s vintage Leopard-C2 vehicles were vulnerable to insurgent attacks.
Researcher Michael Wallace, of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, argued that new Leopard A6Ms would also be vulnerable to road-side bombs and rocket-propelled grenades. He said the introduction of tanks had the potential to spark an “arms race” with insurgents, prompting the Taliban to build bigger bombs.
Morrison dismissed the arguments, calling them ridiculous.
“What would they have us do?” he asked. “Take the tanks home and then the insurgents won’t use whatever weapon they have? What will happen in the end is the insurgents would control the whole country.”

Harper Would Like to See More Support for Soldiers

Stephen Harper would "like to see more support

in the House of Commons from all sides

for Canadian men and women in uniform."

March 21, 2007

"Mr. Speaker, I can understand the passion that the Leader of the Opposition and members of his party feel for Taliban prisoners. I just wish occasionally they would show the same passion for Canadian soldiers," Mr. Harper told the House of Commons replying to Liberal Stephane Dion to a standing ovation from his caucus.
Mr. Harper's comments were reminiscent of his allegations last month that the Liberals are "soft on terrorism" and refused to extend anti-terrorism measures in order to protect the family of a Liberal MP.
Mr. Harper refused to apologize, saying he simply wants to defend the military.
"I would like to see more support in the House of Commons from all sides for Canadian men and women in uniform," he said.
"I think Canadians expect that from parliamentarians in every party. They have not been getting it, and they deserve it."

Comments today in the House of Commons' Question Period, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said this in response to Stephane Dion's request for the resignation of Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor.

Stephane Dion

Jason Kenney, the secretary of state for multiculturalism, later said Mr. Harper was simply laying out facts.

"All [the Liberals] ever seem to do is ask questions about Taliban prisoners and not the condition of our troops, and I think the Prime Minister was pointing out the obvious," Mr. Kenney said.

Mr. O'Connor had rendered a public apology maintaining that detainees are in good hands in Afghanistan. "We have engaged the Afghan Human Rights Commission that will go into the Afghan system and be able to check to see how the detainees are treated. It will report back to us if there is any maltreatment," the Defence Minister said.