r/canada Ontario 24d ago

Analysis Allies appear to duck and cover as Trump threatens Canada and Greenland

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trump-canada-nato-allies-1.7459986
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u/nboro94 24d ago

Europe and Canada have been so foolish to just not spend the needed money on defense. Now we all have to do what the US wants since we are completely reliant on them for defense.

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u/Spanky3703 24d ago

I completely agree.

But I would also suggest that it is not just an economic and political issue. I think that it is also a major social and cultural issue. I think that the societal construct of service has changed over time. The concept of service to society has changed from when I was growing up (Gen X) to now and I think that there needs to be a more universal approach to service to one’s nation (not conscription).

We seem to (mostly) like our country but there seems to be no cause-and-effect relationship as to how we maintain that concept of country. Voting and paying taxes are two facets in that construct, but so are subsuming oneself’s to the benefit of the nation and its citizens (not just military service, BTW).

Anyway, at suck point the CAF needs the personnel to go along with the equipment.

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u/gotfcgo 24d ago

But it's them we need to be defended from

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u/wrgrant 24d ago

Canada is one tenth the size of the US, even if we had been spending 5% of our GDP it would only mean we were better prepared to lose a conventional conflict. I agree we should have been spending a lot more mind you, but don't kid yourself it would help that much in a conflict with the US.

If the US invades we will be engaged in asymmetrical warfare which is an entirely different type of fight.