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February 12, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

La quadrature du cercle de Trudeau

ÉDITORIAL / Gouverner, c'est choisir. Ça ne fait pas que des heureux. Ça commence à donner des soucis à Justin Trudeau. Il n'y a pas d'issue facile à certains des litiges auxquels son gouvernement est confronté. L'exercice du pouvoir nourrit les rangs des mécontents ; à un moment donné, ils deviennent assez nombreux pour vous battre aux élections. Les libéraux n'en sont pas encore là, mais le premier ministre doit faire attention à l'accumulation d'accusations contre son gouvernement.

Hier, le Canada a vu un contrat de 233 millions $ lui filer entre les doigts ; les Philippines ont annulé l'achat de 16 hélicoptères de l'usine québécoise Bell Helicopter. Ottawa hésitait à les vendre au régime de Manille qui s'en servirait pour mater des mouvements terroristes. Quand le président Rodrigo Duterte, un adepte de la ligne dure, a senti les craintes du Canada, il a demandé à ses dirigeants militaires de rompre l'entente et de trouver un autre fournisseur.

Ces questions de principe sont difficiles à arbitrer. D'un côté, cette vente aurait assuré du travail à 900 personnes à Mirabel.

Les Canadiens ignorent l'importance du commerce des armes au pays. Il fournit de l'emploi à plus de 100 000 travailleurs au pays et discrètement, le Canada s'est faufilé parmi les 10 premiers exportateurs au monde. C'est que les statistiques officielles ne disent pas tout. Une part des ventes consiste en des équipements d'appoint ou technologique. Ainsi, le Canada a déjà vendu des hélicos à la Colombie pour sa lutte contre des groupes révolutionnaires, mais seulement après avoir été modifiés. Ainsi, la vente n'apparaissait pas publiquement comme une de type militaire, même si c'était un secret de Polichinelle.

Une autre transaction du genre, avec l'Arabie saoudite, continue de faire couler l'encre. Sous les conservateurs de Stephen Harper, Ottawa a permis en 2014 la vente de tanks légers pour 15 milliards $ et assurent de l'emploi à 3000 personnes de General Dynamics à Newmarket. En campagne électorale, M. Trudeau a diminué la portée de l'affaire, arguant que le Canada vendait « des Jeeps ». Mais personne ne reconnaîtrait un Jeep devant une photo de ces tanks légers, mais lourdement armés.

Des organisations comme Amnesty International font pression contre ce contrat parce que selon leurs prétentions, le régime de Riyad se servirait de ces véhicules pour réprimer sa minorité chiite. La ministre des Affaires globales, Chrystia Freeland, a soutenu hier que des preuves vidéo de 2016 n'étaient pas concluantes, sans rendre public le rapport à cet effet.

Les « Jeeps » de Justin Trudeau, puis cette vente avortée d'hélicoptères aux Philippines : le Canada est-il trop vertueux ? Se met-il la tête dans le sable ?

Différents sondages indiquent que la population est partagée.

Ajoutons au dossier l'approbation du pipeline Kinder Morgan entre l'Alberta et la Colombie-Britannique. Difficile de réconcilier les prétentions vertes du gouvernement Trudeau et le feu vert qu'il offre aux oléoducs...

Comment rétablir la quadrature du cercle ? En fait, c'est impossible. Ottawa doit arbitrer entre les intérêts des uns et des autres, d'une province contre l'autre, d'une question de principe contre des emplois et une économie florissante. Les conservateurs penchaient systématiquement pour l'économie. Ils pratiquaient une forme d'aveuglement volontaire. Quant aux libéraux..., au moins disent-ils avoir soupesé le tout ; croyons-les sur parole, jusqu'à preuve du contraire. Parfois, les circonstances peuvent faire pencher d'un côté ou de l'autre. C'est l'arbitrage difficile du pouvoir.

https://www.ledroit.com/opinions/pierre-jury/la-quadrature-du-cercle-de-trudeau-feba1bdc2307d1b066a537683911da28

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Information dominance, therefore, could among other things enable a fighter jet to both launch attacks and also function as an aerial ISR node. Operating as part of a dispersed, yet interwoven combat sensor network, a fighter could transmit combat relevant data to air assets, ground-based weapons, command and control centers, Navy ships and satellites. If a ship, ground or air commander has occasion to see or learn of an incoming attack at greater distance, he or she is obviously much better positioned to defend it. Perhaps, for instance, a medium-range ballistic missile attack is airborne, approaching land based artillery formations or a Carrier Strike Group - what might a Commander do? Should the attack be met with a ground-based interceptor, jammed with electronic warfare technology, hit with a laser or thrown off course in some other way? 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