Canadian military chief promotes war, arms build up: He has claimed that we are at war with China and Russia, who could
soon seize Canadian territory in the Artic, and a recent year-end review
interview,
Eyre added that Canada may have to militarize like it did at the start
of World War II. “I often challenged the team [military planners] to
look at history. What did we do in 1939?”

The recent warmongering by the head of Canada’s military is a
troubling escalation that must be called out. But it is erroneous to
frame his reaction as a fundamental change. Instead it is part of the
Canadian Force’s longstanding bid to further militarize society and
deepen ties to the world’s preeminent military power.

Over the past three decades Canada has openly participated in a
series of unprovoked, large-scale wars (Iraq 1990-91, Serbia 1999, Libya
2011 and Afghanistan 2001-14). The military also quietly participated
in another large-scale war (Iraq 2003) and medium scale war (Iraq/Syria
2014 – 2023) in which the Ottawa Citizen reported recently that Canadian special forces were involved with the US military team accused of killing many civilians.

The Canadian military has also invaded to overthrow an elected
government (Haiti 2004) and returned six years later partly to ensure a
popular president didn’t return from exile. Canadian Forces have also
been involved in violent UN missions (Somalia 1993, Yugoslavia 1991–95).
Over the past three decades the Canadian military has participated in
dozens of other politically charged or belligerent deployments such as training Palestinian security forces to oversee Israel’s occupation and strengthening
the Ukrainian military as part of a low-level proxy war with Russia.
They’ve also participated in naval missions that tested Nigerian,
Iranian, Chinese and other countries’ sovereignty.

What makes Eyre’s current bombast particularly troubling is the
geopolitical ramifications. At the end of October the head of the
Canadian military told Parliament that nuclear armed China and Russia
considered themselves at war with the West and two weeks later added that those two nations will increasingly challenge Canada’s “tenuous hold”
over its territory in the Arctic. Simultaneously, he’s calling for
industry to be placed on “wartime footing” and for military planners to
prepare for a WWII style conflict.