Who Killed the Canadian Military?

Serge Durflinger is an assistant professor of history at the University
of Ottawa. His latest book is Lest We Forget: A History of the Last Post
Fund, 1909-1999.

Jack Granatstein, perhaps Canada’s most prolific historian, has
written a passionate book on the 50-year decline of Canada’s military
establishment and the concomitant reduction in the nation’s ability to
defend itself and influence events on the world stage. He reminds
readers that without meaningful armed forces Canada is more beholden to
the protective umbrella of the United States, and less sovereign
thereby.

The purpose of the book is to show how Canada has reached “this point
of utter irrelevance” in international affairs and to remind Canadians
of their complicity in the matter. Granatstein vents fury at successive
Canadian prime ministers from Diefenbaker to Chrétien, blaming each in
turn for a string of misjudged policies, bureaucratic bungling, waste,
and poorly timed parsimony. He lists John Diefenbaker’s bizarre and
confused policies and Pierre Trudeau’s knee-jerk anti-Americanism and
anti-military bias as principal “killers” of the Canadian military.
The chapter on the Chrétien government is the most damning and reads
like a sad post-mortem. Without an immediate massive infusion of cash
and the political will to give them purpose and direction, the Canadian
Forces might not survive as anything other than a lightly armed
constabulary.

One of the root problems explaining these dismal defence policies and
chronic underfunding is the failure of Canadian governments and electors
to realize that their troops are not merely blue-helmeted, do-gooding
“social workers,” but expensively trained instruments of national
power projection. Erroneously equating participation in peacekeeping
duties with Canada’s military raison d’кtre has led to a steady
deterioration in the nation’s combat capabilities. In reality,
peacekeeping has been but a footnote in our military history.

Granatstein reminds Canadians that it is at Canada’s peril if it
shirks its alliance responsibilities and takes friendship with the
United States for granted. He reacts vigorously against wrong-headed
anti-Americanism, which ensures only that Canada has no influence with
Washington. His litany is wide-ranging and insightful, and his
confidently written book drips with anger and disappointment. It is part
history lesson, part thought-provoking polemic, and part plea for
Canadians to support security policies that would protect their way of
life.

Seasoned historians and knowledgeable members of the general public
might not learn a great deal from this publication, which is intended to
educate and influence a broader reading audience. Accordingly, it is
accessible in form and tone, while offering the collected thoughts of
one of the country’s greatest scholars on a topic of immense
importance.