Ruxted has spent the summer calling for a greater show of leadership from the
Prime Minister and his
deputies with respect to the Afghanistan mission. Ruxted has called for
more and better communication from the responsible departments, particularly DFAIT and the PMO, in order to educate Canadians.
Recent comments from Peter MacKay suggest that the government is learning.
Continue reading "Resisting the Opposition’s Urge to Abandon the Afghan People"
Over the past several weeks, Ruxted has commented on the world-view of some politicians, journalists and academics who advocate withdrawal from the mission in Afghanistan (and by extension non-participation in other high risk, high payoff missions around the world) as being the vision of “Little Canada.”
“Little Canada” is the home of a greedy and timorous people who hoard their wealth and good fortune while mouthing platitudes about “solidarity”, “morality” and a “responsibility to protect”. When challenged directly to explain how Canada should assist the people of Afghanistan and other unfortunate nations of the world, no coherent answer is offered.
Senator
Hugh Segal has now presented
a proposal to change Canada’s role in Afghanistan. Replacing Canada’s ground forces in Afghanistan with naval and air assets seems motivated by the wish to end Canadian ground combat operations in Afghanistan. On the surface it is a logical application of high technology; in fact it is a breathtakingly ineffective use of resources that seems destined to create the conditions for failure in Afghanistan and beyond. The logic is beyond the ken of Ruxted, and frankly we are astounded that a member of the Red Chamber would propose something so sophomoric. We believe the Conservative senator, like so many of his colleagues in parliament, has put partisan electoral politics ahead of the national interest.
Continue reading "Little Canada"
Prime Minister Harper's 'new' government seems mildly schizophrenic: one part, the cabinet, has 'done the right things' and has 'done things right' with regard to rebuilding our armed forces; another part, led by the PMO, has failed to enunciate policies which justify that rebuilding to Canadians.
Prime Minister Harper has stated that he is putting Canada back on course to return to being a leader of the middle powers: a respected member of the international community that practices the responsibilities about which it preaches. The Ruxted Group commends him for this. We believe most Canadian soldiers are ready to pay the high price their country demands of them. The cabinet has put our money where the Conservative Party's mouth is: the budget has grown, new people are pouring into the recruiting centres and basic training units, new equipment is arriving and entering service, more plans for transformation and growth are being announced. BZ!
Continue reading "Lead, Follow or Get Out of The Way!"