Back to news

October 1, 2018 | Local, Security

Border Security & Organized Crime

© 2018 FrontLine Security (Vol 15, No 5)

Canada's new Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Minister finally has a mandate: What should Canadians expect?

When Prime Minister Trudeau shuffled the federal Cabinet on July 14th, the entire country was taken by surprise when Bill Blair was named as the Minister for the newly-created portfolio of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction. At the time, Blair was serving as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and had been placed in charge of the Government's challenging initiative to legalize possession and use of marihuana. As such, Blair had worked with several federal departments, with Provincial and Municipal governments, with police organizations, the RCMP, CBSA, and also with U.S. officials who, understandably, were, and are, concerned about cross-border smuggling.

By all accounts, Blair did an exemplary job of working with the multiple stakeholders to identify and ‘solve' the many problematic issues involved with marihuana legalization. He was ably supported in this task by officials from Public Safety Canada's Border Strategies and Law Enforcement Division – those skilled policy people who understand and prioritize operational results.

Mr. Blair's success on the marihuana file was no doubt a significant factor in being chosen to handle this new responsibility. It is also clear that his lengthy career of law enforcement, including as the Chief of the Toronto Police Service and President of the Canadian Association of Police of Chiefs, was also instrumental in his selection for this new role.

Full article: https://defence.frontline.online/article/2018/5/10483-Border-Security-%26-Organized-Crime

On the same subject

  • Aircraft used by Snowbirds aerobatic team, on the go since 1963, will be kept flying until 2030

    May 14, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

    Aircraft used by Snowbirds aerobatic team, on the go since 1963, will be kept flying until 2030

    An avionics upgrade is required if the planes are to continue flying in North American airspace, but it is unclear at this point what other work will also be needed to be done on the aging aircraft. The 55-year-old planes used by the Canadian military's iconic Snowbirds aerobatic team will be kept flying until 2030. Aircraft avionics will be modernized on the CT-114 Tutors to comply with upcoming aviation regulations and the life of the aircraft extended for another 12 years, according to April 2018 Royal Canadian Air Force documents obtained by Postmedia. The avionics upgrade is required if the planes are to continue flying in North American airspace. It is unclear at this point what other work will also be needed to be done on the aging aircraft. No information was available on what the modernization program will cost taxpayers. The planes have been in the Canadian Forces inventory since 1963 and have been used by the Snowbirds since 1971. The Tutors were supposed to have been retired in 2010, but that date was extended to 2020. This latest initiative would see the aircraft removed from the flight line when they are 67 years old. Aerospace firms will be consulted about the life extension program over the next two years, according to the documents. A request for proposals will be issued in 2021, aerospace industry officials meeting in Ottawa last month were told. “It is anticipated that equipment ordered would begin to be delivered in 2022,” the RCAF confirmed in an email to Postmedia. “Ultimately, the goal of the CT-114 Tutor Aircraft life extension project is to allow the RCAF to continue its Air Demonstration mission to highlight the professionalism and capabilities of its airmen and airwomen.” The RCAF is facing a dilemma with replacing the aircraft used by the Snowbirds. The federal government has indicated it wants the aerobatic team to continue operating and the Snowbirds are seen as a key public relations tool for the military. But some in the Canadian Forces have privately questioned spending money on the Snowbirds because they do not directly contribute combat capabilities to the air force. The Tutors were originally used as jet trainers for the RCAF, but that role has been transferred to other aircraft. Various military documents obtained by Postmedia show the back-and-forth debate on what to do with the Tutors. Replacing the Tutors would be expensive. In 2012 the Canadian Forces estimated it would cost $755 million to buy a new fleet of planes for the aerobatic team, according to documents obtained by Postmedia through the Access to Information law. A current replacement cost was not available. In 2008, the Canadian Forces examined options for replacing the Tutors in either 2015 or 2020. But officials decided on the 2020 date because of concerns about the cost of purchasing new planes. “Although extending to the CT114 to 2020 will be technically challenging, overall it can be achieved with minimal risk and at significantly lower cost when compared against a new aircraft acquisition,” a briefing note for then Conservative Defence Minister Peter MacKay pointed out in November 2008. That conclusion, however, was in contrast to an earlier examination of the aircraft. “Due to obsolescence issues, in the 2010 time frame, the Tutor will no longer be a viable aircraft for the Snowbirds,” an April 2006 briefing note for then-air force commander Lt.-Gen. Steve Lucas pointed out. In the past, the air force also examined leasing aircraft for the Snowbirds. In addition it looked at, but rejected, a suggestion to substitute CF-18 fighter aircraft for the Tutors. Using CF-18s would increase the ability of the Snowbirds to perform around the world, but reduce their availability for smaller venues in Canada that have runways too short to accommodate the jets, the air force concluded. As well, the CF-18s would be 20 times more expensive to operate than the Tutors. Thousands of Canadians every year watch the team perform, and the Snowbirds are a fixture at Canada Day celebrations and air shows across the country. “The Snowbirds also contribute more than any other Canadian performer to the success and viability of the billion-dollar air-show industry in Canada and North America,” according to Department of National Defence documents. http://nationalpost.com/news/aircraft-used-by-snowbirds-aerobatic-team-on-the-go-since-1963-will-be-kept-flying-until-2030

  • First nine new RCAF fighter jets to be operating in 2026 but Conservative MP has his doubts

    December 7, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

    First nine new RCAF fighter jets to be operating in 2026 but Conservative MP has his doubts

    DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Royal Canadian Air Force will be operating the first nine aircraft from its new fleet of fighter jets starting in 2026, Department of National Defence officials say. But at least one member of parliament questions whether the federal government will be able to meet its timetable to replace the CF-18 fighter fleet with advanced aircraft. MPs on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts received more details on Monday about the Liberal government's plan to buy 88 new fighter jets. Aircraft expected in the competition include Lockheed Martin's F-35, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab's Gripen and the Boeing Super Hornet. Pat Finn, assistant deputy minister for materiel at the DND, told MPS that the formal request for proposals will go out in the spring of 2019. Negotiations would be held in 2021 and a contract awarded in 2022. “We have tried to be very judicious and not have too risky a schedule to try to achieve some of that,” Finn explained to MPs. “But from the bids until the signing of the contract is where we've given ourselves two years for the competitive dialogue, the final negotiations and the various approvals we need to get, signing the contract in 2022.” The first aircraft would be delivered in 2025. Finn said this schedule has been shared with all the potential bidders and “they're comfortable with that approach.” Jody Thomas, the DND deputy minister, told MPs that the plan is to “achieve initial operating capability by 2026 with nine advanced fighters ready to fulfill the NORAD mission.” But one committee member, Conservative MP Pat Kelly, was wary of whether the aircraft acquisition would proceed as scheduled. The plan, he told Finn, doesn't leave a lot of margin for error. Everything would have to run like clockwork to meet the timetable and Kelly questioned if that would even be possible given the track record of defence procurement over the years. “We just don't have time in this for the kinds of delays and the kinds of failures of procurement that we have seen in other programs,” Kelly said. “I shudder to think of what many Canadians listening to this hearing might think about. What has the potential to go wrong to get to 2025? I'm going to leave it at that.” https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/first-nine-new-rcaf-fighter-jets-to-be-operating-in-2026-but-conservative-mp-has-his-doubts

  • Trudeau told NATO that Canada will never meet spending goal, Discord leak shows

    April 19, 2023 | Local, Other Defence

    Trudeau told NATO that Canada will never meet spending goal, Discord leak shows

    The secret Pentagon assessment, posted to the messaging app Discord, says the country's ?widespread? military shortfalls are harming ties with its NATO and NORAD allies.

All news