In the last ten years, the government has taken $22 billion out of the military and security. Now, they are putting back in $12 billion for the military and $1 billion for security -- over five years -- with maybe $750-million going in this year. Only in Canada does that make it look like an increase.
If the government hadn't squandered $1 billion on the gun registry, the military could have received $1.75-billion in the first year.
The whole charade goes on and on and on . . . ad infinitum. With the $750 million, Canada's security will be lucky to keep up with inflation, pay salaries to make sure high tech troops don't leave, keep some military families out of food banks and make sure their quarters don't leak.
Planning and Organizing NOW! Money over FIVE YEARS -- Number of Actual Human Beings Added to Security -- shrouded in budgetary bafflegabMake a guess. It is very difficult to figure it out but
the language of this chapter is of:
planning, talking, over five years, establishment of, roundtable, border infrastructure (Public Works?), begin work on initiatives, assess . . .
Budget 2005, Chapter 6: Meeting our Global Responsibilities - the chapter with security information This chapter includes several aspects before it gets to what we usually think of as protecting Canadians' security.
Search the acronyms RCMP and CSIS in this document (available on the government website) and see what you find. I think you will be surprised. Some Chapter 6 information is set in
eye-catching blocks. Note what is highlighted on the government website. The budget is nothing if not
timely in appealing to citizens over the new year 2005 global concern, the tsunami.
In looking at Chapter 6, my first impression was that there is
much more emphasis on the "global" than on the "national" and this chapter seems
heavily weighted in emphasis toward trade and business. For example, there is a preponderance of lanhguage having to do with
talking, conferring, organizing without much
action:
auditing of federal department business continuity plans, action plan for assessing, "sends a strong message", assessment and development of systems
Does the following, admittedly a personal selection, give a sense of security at home -- of enhanced security including officers--human beings with the intuitive powers of trained officers--on the ground in Canada protecting Canadians?
deployment of officers to overseas ports, enhance Canada’s competitiveness, contribute to a more equitable, sustainable, and democratic world, and help protect Canadians, renew the Public Diplomacy Program, an important instrument to gain greater influence for Canada internationally
And now to my personal choices,
what stood out to me in Chapter 6: Meeting our Global Responsibilities
I have set the material that was in blocks on the government webset off visually here in
block quotes and italicized them.
Setting a New Course for Canada’s International Policy[. . . . ]
Global citizenship: reflecting Canadians’ desire to make a difference in the world.[. . . . ]
Responding to the South Asia Tsunami
Matching Contributions for Tsunami Relief
[. . . . ] Eligible organizations are required to submit proposals, and independently audited statements on the funds they raised, to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). These audited statements will be used to determine the amount of donations the Government will match. [. . . . ]
[. . . . ] The matched funds will be disbursed over time, . . .
Helping the Poorest of the World
[
Check the chart, New Resources for International Assistance]
[. . . . ] Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) [. . . .
Make a guess as to what this is about.]
Recent Canadian Action on
Debt Relief [facts and figures]
Canada’s Commitment to
Africa [CIDA?]
[. . . . ] health and economic development . . . . announcing $300 million in additional funding for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria ($140 million), and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) ($160 million).
[. . . . ] $42 million in funding to support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)
Additional Funds for Peace and Security[. . . ]
Canada Corps will engage Canadians in helping
to improve governance in fragile or failed states [. . . . ] [My cynicism kicks in here. NJC]
Nurturing a Prosperous Private Sector in Developing Countries[. . . ]
Prime Minister Paul Martin and former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo recognized this, and called on the global community to act in their UN report,
"Unleashing Entrepreneurship." [I see
open borders / open immigration coming, though the language will be about
free trade -- too cynical of me? NJC]
Canada will do more to enable developing countries, particularly African countries, to build their private sectors, make markets work for the poor, and to compete globally. The Government will also encourage additional incentives for Canadian firms to do business in Africa in a way that better considers each community’s social and economic development issues. The
Martin-Zedillo report provides a solid foundation upon which to build support and determine the approaches that will best help African entrepreneurs. An important example is the Canada Investment Fund for Africa (CIFA), which aims to channel at least $200 million in private investment into Africa. An initial $100 million allocation was set aside for this initiative, designed to
provide risk capital for investment in Africa. The Forum of Federations [What is this? What is its mandate?]Better Management of Canada’s International Assistance
[Note that all of that came before security--I omitted much but the emphasis in this chapter is not on the defence of Canadians and Canadians' interests! Read the whole thing for the preponderance of other things that seem to matter more than Canadians. ]Strengthening
National Defence to Meet New Commitments [the military -- The news media have covered this but I do have one item.
A digression: Martin's Past Choices Create Dire Consequences for Canadian Military says MP Jay Hill on the occasion of Paul Martin's sending Canadian troops to Haiti, March 5, 2004
Fort St. John, BC - Senior National Defence Critic for the Official Opposition, Jay Hill . . . . "Paul Martin cut the Canadian Forces so deep when he was finance minister that now we're scraping the bone. [. . . . ]
"He can't have it both ways," Hill added. "The Prime Minister can't brag to Canadians that he slew the deficit yet not take responsibility for the impact of his $20-billion in cuts to Canada's military. The Canadian Forces needs an immediate infusion of cash for equipment, recruitment and training in order to adequately respond to the next international or domestic crisis." [. . . . ]
End of digression
Ensuring the Security of Canadians[. . . .] The past three federal budgets have allocated more than $8.3 billion to this effort, beginning with $7.7 billion provided in Budget 2001 for a range of new security measures. Improvements have been made in air and marine security, intelligence and policing, emergency preparedness and response, and border security and border infrastructure. Budgets 2003 and 2004 together provided an additional $680 million for the security reserve created in Budget 2001. These additional funds have supported a number of measures, such as the Smart Border Action Plan and other projects identified in Canada’s National Security Policy.
National Security Policy
[. . . .]
$690 million in new investments to enhance the Government’s capacity in
intelligence gathering and the protection of critical government systems and infrastructure. Other key NSP initiatives include the establishment of an integrated threat assessment centre and a government operations centre, the creation of health emergency response teams, and measures to enhance marine security.
[. . . .] over $1 billion [. . . .] in the areas of emergency
planning and response, transportation and border security, and in increasing Canada’s international presence.
[. . . .] improve national readiness in the event of a pandemic influenza emergency.
[. . . .]
purchase antivirals, a further $34 million, over five years,[. . . .]
Emergency Management
[. . . .]
proposed integration of the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness (OCIPEP) into the new Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC), [. . . ] a single organization that can respond to both terrorist and other emergencies. . . implementation of Canada’s National Security Policy, [. . . .] PSEPC would be in a better position to assess Canadian emergency response and management capacity requirements.
[. . . .] resources to
begin work on initiatives that are key to the effective emergency
management of the future.
Budget 2005 provides
$56 million in funding over five years for emergency management initiatives, such as the federal-provincial-territorial forum on emergencies. [. . . .] Cross-Cultural Roundtable [. . . .] secret communications between disparate players that could be required to inter-operate in emergencies. [. . . .]
enable auditing of federal department business continuity plans to begin,[. . . .] Natural Resources Canada [. . . .] action plan for assessing the vulnerability of critical cross-border energy facilities, and to implement the recommendations of the Canada-U.S. Task Force on the 2003
Power Outage. [. . . .]
collaboration among researchers [. . . .] on science and technology
as it relates to critical infrastructure vulnerability and protection against chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear threats. . . . $16 million over five years to develop a capacity to lead this collaboration and align federal, industry and academic science and technology (S&T) activities.
Financial Crime and Terrorist Financing[. . . ]
sends a strong message to G-7 and other international partners . . .
Canada intends to seek the presidency of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), . . . will actively participate in other regional bodies such as the
Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering and the
Caribbean Financial Action Task Force. The Government will ensure adequate and ongoing funding for membership in these international bodies and for necessary evaluations of the effectiveness of our national regime. This is expected to cost about $3 million over the next five years.
[. . . .]
a consultation paper proposing legislative and regulatory changes to implement recent revisions to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards.
[. . .] Financial Transactions Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) [ . . .]
Money laundering and terrorist financing activities often involve intricate networks of financial transactions. As a result of its ability to trace such networks, FINTRAC made almost 200 disclosures to law enforcement and intelligence agencies of suspected money laundering and terrorist financing activities last year. More than 40 of these were related to suspected terrorist financing activities
Proceeds of Crime
Through the
Integrated Proceeds of Crime (POC) initiative, RCMP investigators and the Department of Justice Canada legal counsel—as well as investigators from several federal departments and agencies—work with municipal, provincial and international partners in integrated teams across the country. These teams help to seize profits and assets from criminal organizations [. . . ]
$117 million over the next five years for this purpose.[. . .]
$2.2 billion in Budget 2001 for an enhanced Canadian air travel security system, the creation of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, and the strengthening of Transport Canada’s regulatory, monitoring and inspection capacities. The Public Safety Act (2002) is an additional tool for
detecting, assessing and responding to air security threats. Budget 2005 allocates $16 million over the next five years to this measure for the
assessment and development of systems to collect information about air travellers for national security purposes.
Air Travellers Security Charge
[. . . ] Air Travellers Security Charge (ATSC) [. . . .] reductions are proposed: for air travel within Canada, to $5 from $6 for one-way travel and to $10 from $12 for round-trip travel; for transborder air travel, to $8.50 from $10; and for other international air travel, to $17 from $20. [. . . .]
Marine Security
The Government of Canada is
committed to maintaining a strong economy and excellent
trading relationships through a secure marine transportation system.
Since 2001, the Government has dedicated $630 million for projects improving marine security in Canada, including measures to protect marine infrastructure, increase the surveillance of maritime traffic, and improve Canada’s capability to respond to emergency situations.[. . .]
$222 million over five years to further enhance the security of the country’s marine transportation system. Funds will go towards a series of initiatives, including
new mid-shore patrol vessels for the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway, additional regulatory inspections, the
creation of Emergency Response Teams for the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway, and an increased police presence in ports.Container Security Initiative
. . .
$88 million over five years [. . . ] Container Security Initiative (CSI), as well as to increase the compatibility of our systems for automated targeting and sharing of information on high-risk cargo [. . .] develop intelligence, share critical information and verify inspections on containers . . .
enable Canada to participate in, and benefit from, the CSI through the deployment of officers to overseas ports.Security of Embassies and Consulates
[. . . .] enhanced security measures at Canada’s foreign embassies and consulates. The Government will invest
$59 million over the next five years. . .
Border Security
[. . . ]
Canada will work with the United States and Mexico to increase the security of critical transportation and communications networks, [. . . .]
$433 million over five years to strengthen the Government’s capacity to deliver secure and efficient border services.
Strengthening the Capacity of the Foreign Service
Canada needs a strong network of highly skilled diplomatic officers in its embassies and consulates to
enhance Canada’s competitiveness, contribute to a more equitable, sustainable, and democratic world, and help protect Canadians [. . . .] $42 million over five years to begin deploying more foreign service officers from Canada to embassies and consulates abroad. It also provides
$40 million over five years to renew the Public Diplomacy Program, an important instrument to gain greater influence for Canada internationally. [Paying heed to some of our friends such as the US about terrorist groups and triad members who have been allowed into Canada would make more sense. Our government should do something about the problem. No wonder our influence has waned. Canada is a haven for criminals and terrorists. NJC]
Setting New Trade and Investment Priorities
Enhancing Our Relationships With Overseas Markets
Canada-India partnership to foster science and technology cooperation . . . promote trade and investment
China -- enhancing our partnership in the areas of multilateral cooperation, natural resources and energy, and trade and investment—including the facilitation of bilateral trade and investment
Japan -- to enhance trade and economic cooperation. The framework will be structured to focus on strategic priorities—including policy dialogue, facilitation and promotion of trade and investment, and regulatory cooperation, with a focus on enhancing both countries’ capacities in innovation and knowledge-based economy.
European Union -- negotiating a Trade and Investment Enhancement Agreement with the European Union to invigorate its economic relationship with traditional European partners.
Budget 2005 provides $20 million over five years to support new international science and technology (S&T) initiatives . . . India and China. . . . promote collaborative research between Canadian and foreign scientists and technologists . . . the use of cleaner and more efficient forms of energy . . . helping brand Canadian environmental technology abroad.
Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada -- [. . . .] an endowment of $50 million. . . to build networks between Canadian and Asian business leaders, and to unearth potential market opportunities that will benefit both regions. In order to improve and reflect modern governance and accountability practices, the Government will undertake to amend the 1984 Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada Act. [Check that "foundation" and the act by which it came into being.] * * *
Budget 2005 makes significant investments to advance Canada’s interests and project Canadian values around the globe. It delivers on commitments to double international assistance by 2010–11 and takes immediate action to alleviate the debt burden of poor countries and to combat global poverty and health challenges. In particular, the Government has increased its focus on Africa, where the development challenges are the greatest.
[. . . .]
increase military personnel by making additional investments in the military,
including equipment. [. . . .]
global peace operations and crisis response. [. . . .] this budget affirms the importance that Canada places an increasing trade and investment in key emerging economies.
[. . . .]
Canadian values as a guide [. . . .]
Table 6.2Meeting Our Global Responsibilities [Note the years covered in this table. You cannot assess what is not there -- the figures since the Jean Chretien Liberals came to power in 1993. This puts a whole new meaning to "over the next five years". Also, see "Related" below.]Ensuring the
security of Canadians -- Total after five years: 1,009 (millions of dollars)
Helping the poorest of the world -- Total after five years: 3,436 (millions of dollars)
Canada’s commitment to
Africa -- Total after five years: 342 (millions of dollars)
Strengthening National Defence -- 2004-2005 to 2009-2010, over each of the five years
500, 600, 1,100, 2,125, 2,675 (millions of dollars)
Total after five years: 7,000 (millions of dollars)
Ensuring the security of Canadians -- including:
Emergency management -- Total after five years: 72 (millions of dollars)
Combatting financial crime -- Total after five years: 120 (millions of dollars)
Transportation security -- Total after five years: 326 (millions of dollars)
Security at missions abroad -- Total after five years: 59 (millions of dollars)
Border security1 [1 Funding for 2008–09 and 2009–10 will be subject to the completion of an A-base review.] -- Total after five years: 433 (millions of dollars)
Total after five years: 433 (millions of dollars)
Strengthening the capacity of the foreign service -- Total after five years: 82 (millions of dollars)
Setting new trade and investment priorities -- Total after five years: 20 (millions of dollars)
End of the excerpts from the budget 2005.
Related: Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada -- Business News and more The Foundation was established in 1984 by an Act of the Parliament of Canada. It has its headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia.
APF Canada receives financial support from Foreign Affairs Canada, the Canadian International Development Agency and Western Economic Diversification Canada.
What was the impetus for setting up this foundation? Who initiated it? There is much high power concentration. Follow the money and the networks.
Check some past posts:
Updates & China Conference-Vancouver Port, Maurice Strong-China Car Salesman, China's Bricklin & Strong, China-Copied Chevy Design? Search the page for any of the following:
* Update 2: Maurice Strong
* Judi McLeod: "Environmental car salesman of 2005: Maurice Strong, Meet George W. Bush"
* First Chinese cars to hit U.S. shores -- Malcolm Bricklin, the man behind the Yugo, to lead new import wave in 2007. -- Maurice Strong member of Bricklin's team -- a NB connection here
* Maurice Strong, chairman of Visionary Vehicles' Technology and Environmental Advisory Board. He is a former senior adviser to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and adviser to the president of the World Bank. [among other things -- scroll down.
* Chinese carmaker ambitious, controversial -- GM has accused Chery Automobile Co. of copying Chevy design, plans to sue.
Canada's Prime Minister, the Industry Minister, assorted other government lads, hangers-on and the big corporations which have received Canadian taxpayers' $$$ largesse over the years are pushing China's interests in--designs upon-Canada's resources, research and development, various companies. . .
* Business: The China Connection, Canada China Business Council--Founding Sponsors, the Networks, Connections & Other Information
* Canada China Business Council (CCBC) -- its mandate
Mandate: The Canada China Business Council (CCBC) is a private-sector, non-profit membership organization incorporated in 1978 to facilitate and promote trade and investment between Canada and the People's Republic of China.
* Founding Sponsors [This list -- includes: Desmarais and Maurice Strong, Li Ka-Shing and many more]
