Canada Has It's Own Phone And Internet Surveillance Program

 

Data-Collection Program Got Green Light From MacKay In 2011 -- Globe and Mail 

Defence Minister Peter MacKay approved a secret electronic eavesdropping program that scours global telephone records and Internet data trails – including those of Canadians – for patterns of suspicious activity.

Mr. MacKay signed a ministerial directive formally renewing the government’s “metadata” surveillance program on Nov. 21, 2011, according to records obtained by The Globe and Mail.

The program had been placed on a lengthy hiatus, according to the documents, after a federal watchdog agency raised concerns that it could lead to warrantless surveillance of Canadians. T

here is little public information about the program, which is the subject of Access to Information requests that have returned hundreds of pages of records, with many passages blacked out on grounds of national security.

Read more ....

More News On Canada's Surveillance Program  

Canada says it monitors foreign phone, internet traffic -- Reuters
Canada has program to eavesdrop on its citizens, too -- Daily Caller
Peter MacKay defends spy outfit's data collecting program -- CNews
Minister MacKay defends spy outfit's data collecting program -- SUN news Data-collection program not targeting Canadians: MacKay -- CTV News
Privacy czar to probe Canadian impact of U.S. data program -- CBC/Canadian Press
Canadians likely being spied on by federal agencies -- Post Media News
Spy agencies have turned our digital lives inside out. We need to watch them -- Ronald Deibert, The Globe and Mail  

My Comment: As someone who is living in Canada .... I am not surprised by this disclosure .... but it is still  news that is disturbing. But what makes me unhappy is that there has been no debate on this issue in this country. In short .... it has all been done in secret.

Canadian Naval Officer Who Spied For The Russians Has Severely Hurt Canada’s Intelligence Relations With Its Allies

Former naval intelligence officer Jeffrey Paul Delisle enters the courtroom for his sentencing hearing at the provincial court in Halifax on Jan. 31. Stringer/Canada/Reuters

Canadian Spy Trial: Damage Caused By Navy Officer ‘Far Greater’ Than Initially Thought -- Toronto Star

The information passed to the Russians by Jeffrey Paul Delisle put plans and people in danger, court hears.

HALIFAX—A bespectacled naval officer who spied for the Russians has hurt Canada’s intelligence relations with its allies, could put human sources at risk and may badly hinder its own intelligence efforts in the future, federal security experts say, contradicting political claims that the espionage scandal has had little impact.

Officials from Canada’s covert intelligence community came out of the shadows Thursday to lay bare the serious fallout of Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle’s espionage and its potential to haunt Canada far into the future.

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More News On This Canadian Spy Story

Convicted spy Delisle sold CSIS names to Russians, court told -- Globe and Mail
Harm done by navy officer’s espionage still unclear: CSIS official -- CTV
General contradicts MacKay’s assessment of damages caused by Delisle spying -- Globe and Mail
Delisle crumbled during RCMP investigation; 20-year term sought -- Globe and Mail
Lawyers dispute extent of damage done by Canadian spy who sold military secrets to Russia -- National Post/Canadian Press
Canadian Spy Damaged Country's Credibility -- CTV/AP
Canadian prosecutors seek 20-year sentence for spy -- Global Post/AFP
Crown wants navy spy Delisle jailed for more than 20 years -- Chronicle Herald
Navy spy who sold secrets to Russia apologizes for pain he caused -- CTV

My Comment: The Russians are laughing .... and for causing all of this chaos it only cost them $72,000.

Update: Canada's allies are clamping down as a result of this intelligence failure. (Hat Tip: Eric Palmer blog)

Canadian Spy Pleads Guilty For Transfering NATO Naval Secrets To The Russians

Photo: Jeffrey Paul Delisle arrives at the provincial court in Halifax to face espionage charges in January. (Reuters: Paul Darrow, file photo)

Jeffrey Paul Delisle Pleads Guilty To Selling Canadian Secrets To Russia In Navy Spying Case -- National post/Canadian Press

HALIFAX — A Canadian naval officer pleaded guilty to espionage Wednesday, five years after a Crown lawyer said he walked into the Russian embassy, offered up military secrets for money and began a relationship that resulted in the sharing of a “vast amount” of sensitive information.

Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle rose before a provincial court judge in Halifax, showing no emotion and clasping his hands together, and acknowledged that he understood the consequences of his plea to the unprecedented charges.

When asked if he confirmed the guilty pleas, the 41-year-old intelligence officer merely said, “Yes sir,” before leaving the court to return to prison as he awaits sentencing in January.

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More News On Canada's Russian Naval Spy Breach

Navy spy sold secrets to Russia for $3K a month -- CBC
Ex-Canadian Navy intelligence officer pleads guilty to spy charges -- Ottawa Citizen/Canadian Press
Canadian spy Jeffrey Paul Delisle pleads guilty to espionage charges -- Toronto Star
Military officer pleads guilty to espionage -- Boston.com/AP
Canadian spy pleads guilty to espionage charges -- ABC News (Australia)
Naval officer’s guilty plea of spying for Russia shows need for vigilance, says intel expert -- Montreal Gazette/Post Media News
Spy case could have been far more embarrassing for feds, says security expert -- Toronto Sun
How and why a navy spy sold secrets to Russia -- CBC
A Rare Case: Canadian Navy Officer Pleads Guilty To Selling Secrets To Russians -- NPR

Shooting Mar Quebec Separatists Win In Provincial Election

Shootings Mar Victory Party For Separatists In Quebec -- New York Times

OTTAWA — A speech by Pauline Marois, whose separatist Parti Québécois claimed a victory in a provincial election on Tuesday, was abruptly cut short when a man fired shots near an entrance to the hall where she was speaking, leaving one man dead and another in critical condition.

Montreal police officials said that the shootings took place near a back door of the meeting hall. As Ms. Marois was stating her “firm conviction that Quebec needs to become a sovereign country,” she was pulled off the stage by two plainclothes officers.

The officials said that the gunman then set a fire behind the hall. Television images showed dramatic flames near a fire escape.

Read more ....

More News On Quebec's Election

PQ's minority victory celebration upset by shooting -- CBC
Suspect in custody after killing at PQ victory party for premier-elect Pauline Marois -- Montreal Gazette
‘Act of gratuitous violence’ casts pall over PQ’s election win -- National Post/Canadian Press
Quebec shooting suspect heard shouting 'English are waking up' -- CTV
PQ Quebec election victory ends in tragedy after celebration interrupted by gunshots -- Globe and Mail
With PQ win, Quebec joins international ranks of ‘Plan-B’ sovereigntists -- Doug Saunders, The Globe and Mail

My Comment: Regular readers know that I live in Quebec .... and yes .... my blog posts are late this morning because I was following the election results until the early morning hours. What's my first impression .... not surprised .... and resigned like most Quebecers to more separatist politics and an economic agenda from a new government that would make President Obama look like rabid right wing economic conservative.

Sighhh .....

Matt Gurney's comments coverage on the aftermath of this election mirrors my own, and as to who is the new leader of Quebec, this article pretty well sums it up.

Canada's Growing Military Presence In The Arctic

Trekking Up North: Canadian Rangers ride snowmobiles over the Arctic tundra on an April 19 sovereignty patrol near Baring Bay, Nunavut. Canada plans to expand its Arctic military role with a new training base, a fleet of patrol ships and other new gear. (Canadian Forces)

Canada Ramps Up Arctic Arsenal -- Defense News

OTTAWA — The Canadian Forces’ push to boost its presence in the Arctic is fueling the need for new equipment, ranging from stealthy snowmobiles to UAVs that can operate in the remote region.

Other companies are preparing to bid on the Canadian Army’s project to buy a new fleet of all-terrain vehicles for operations in the north.

The Army’s commander, Lt. Gen. Peter Devlin, said efforts to improve Arctic capabilities are progressing well, and that 800 Canadian soldiers conducted exercises in Norway in February and March. But increasing presence in such regions will require support from industry with new equipment, as well as help with logistics.

Read more ....

My Comment: Canadian Prime Minister Harper has always publicly expressed his determination to assert Canadian sovereignty in the North. I guess this is putting one's money where one's mouth is .... but frankly .... considering how vast the arctic is .... this is only a "small drop of water" in a huge ocean.

Retired Air Force Colonel: F-35 Is Wrong For Canada

Defence Minister Peter MacKay gestures while sitting in the cockpit of a F-35 Joint Strike Fighter during a news conference in Ottawa July 16, 2010. Parliamentary budget officer, Kevin Page, has asked the federal government for new information about the F-35 fighter jets so that he can prepare an updated estimate of their real cost. Photograph by: REUTERS/Chris Wattie , National Post

F-35 Wrong Choice For Arctic, Retired Colonel Argues -- Canada.com

OTTAWA — A retired air force fleet manager fired a salvo at the F-35 Wednesday, saying the strike fighter is ill-suited for Arctic missions and may become obsolete soon after it enters service.

Meanwhile, Liberal defence critic John McKay has asked Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page for a new analysis of the F-35 program costs.

Retired colonel Paul Maillet, an aerospace engineer and former CF-18 fleet manager, said the F-35 does not meet the needs of the government's Canada First Defence Strategy, a key pillar of which is Arctic sovereignty.

Read more ....

My Comment: I am old enough to remember when the F-18 was chosen by Canada because it could travel great distances and that it had 2 engines .... two points that many believed at the time was essential for pilots to fly the arctic. The F-35 is not structured to fill that need .... a point that many are now finally pointing out and bringing to the attention of the media and parliament. Canada's auditor general is going to add more fuel to this debate in hearings today (see video below).

Canadian Government Prepares For Auditor General's Report On The F-35 Purchase

Canada's government is nervously awaiting an Auditor General's report, which is expected to be highly critical of the F-35 fighter jet procurement program. (UPI Photo/Julianne Showalter/US Air Force)

Canadian Govt. Braces For F-35 Report -- UPI

MONTREAL, March 21 (UPI) -- Canada's government is nervously awaiting an Auditor General's report, which is expected to be highly critical of the F-35 fighter jet procurement program.

Some commentators have said that in the aftermath of the report, the government may retreat into a "wait and see" attitude on the project, gauging further developments both in the United States and abroad before making a final decision on purchasing the aircraft.

That process could take up to a year.

Read more ....

More News On Canada's Auditor General's Report On The F-35

Leak suggests F-35 fighter jet purchase fraught with errors -- CBC/Canadian Press
Former DND official says Parliament, Canadians were ‘misled’ about F-35 procurement -- Yahoo News/Canadian Politics
Auditor has Defence, Public Works in his sights on F-35 jets: sources -- Globe and Mail
DND and Public Works both rapped in auditor’s F-35 report: sources -- Toronto Star/Canadian press
Replacement candidates in the wings as F-35 woes mount -- Canada.com
Good Riddance F-35s: You Just Took Up (Air) Space -- Gavin Charles, Huffington Post

Canada Rolls Out New Leopard Tanks

Hat Tip: Theo Spark

Canada May Cancel Its Order Of F-35 Fighter Jets

Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantino says his government has not completely ruled out cancelling its order of F-35 fighter jets. Lockheed Martin

Government’s Resolve Wavers In Plan To Buy F-35 Fighter Jets -- Globe And Mail

The Harper government is conceding it might back out of its multibillion-dollar plan to buy F-35 stealth fighters.

Delays and setbacks have cast confusion over the price tag of the fighter jets, so Ottawa is now acknowledging it will have to wait and see how much they will cost – even if it doesn’t have a clear idea of a Plan B.

Read more ....

More News On Canada (Maybe) Backing Out Of The F-35 Purchase

Video: F-35 jets purchase not guaranteed: Fantino -- Canada.com
Canada may not buy F-35 fighter jets, Ottawa admits -- Toronto Star
Minister raises prospect of nixing controversial F-35 fighter jet purchase -- Toronto Star
Tory about-face on F-35 jets as minister denies ‘definitive decision’ on $16B deal -- National Post
Tories raise prospect of nixing F-35 deal -- CTV
Canada does not rule out dropping F-35 program -- Reuters
F-35 purchase undecided, Fantino says -- CBC
Canada not rulling out canceling F-35 buy -- Canadian Business/AP
Canada may back out of F35 purchase: minister -- Space War/AFP

Spending At Canada's Department Of Defense Panned In New Report

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, middle, talks to media as he is flanked by Chief of the Defence Staff Walter Natynczyk, right, and Minister of Defence Peter MacKay, left, after delivering a speech to Canadian soldiers an civilian at New Canada House at Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan on Monday, May 30, 2011. Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Report Slams DND For Not Spending Money Allocated To Support Troops -- Montreal Gazette

OTTAWA — Administrative incoherence, blurred authorities and a resistance to accepting managerial risks at the Department of National Defence have all contributed to the “disturbing and increasing trend” of hundreds of millions of dollars of the department’s budget not being spent, Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie wrote in a report that has not yet been made public, despite being circulated within the military for more than a month and not being classified as secret.



The 100-page report details the findings and recommendations of a “transformation team” that consisted of military and civilian staff. The team, which Leslie headed, was tasked with finding ways to make the Canadian Forces well-oiled, cost-effective organization.



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More News On Pending Defense Cuts At Canada's DND

General’s report calls for dramatic cuts to bloated military staffing -- Globe And Mail

DND report lays out plan to save $1B -- CBC

Report outlines $1 billion in cuts to military -- CTV

Report attacks passive DND spending -- Ottawa Citizen

Team calling for deep cuts at DND thwarted, report says -- Ottawa Citizen

Too many bureaucrats at the Department of National Defence, report finds -- Yahoo News

Why report advocating massive military cuts will be ‘a hard sell’ -- Globe And Mail

Wikileaks: Canada Secretly Backed Iraq War

Then prime minister Jean Chrétien is applauded by his Liberal caucus in the House of Commons on March 17, 2003, after announcing Canada's refusal to partake in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. (CBC)

Cable: Canada Secretly Backed Iraq War -- UPI

OTTAWA, May 16 (UPI) -- Canada secretly offered to back the U.S. invasion of Iraq while staying publicly aloof, a cable exposed by WikiLeaks shows.

On March 17, 2003, two days before the attack began, then-Prime Minister Jean Chretien told Parliament Canada was staying out of it, an extremely popular stand.

Read more ....

More News On Canada Secretly Backing The Iraq War

Canada offered to aid Iraq invasion: WikiLeaks -- CBC
Jean Chretien and Iraq: Yet more proof the Liberals stood for nothing -- Matt Gurney, National Post
Was Canada in the coalition of the willing? -- Joshua Keating, Foreign Policy

My Comment: As a Canadian, I do not have enough time or energy to list all the lies and deceptions that the Canadian government was putting us through at the time. Let us just say that this was one the reasons why the decision to escalate Canadian troop numbers to Afghanistan was done with little fanfare or opposition in Canada. By avoiding the Iraq conflict, the perception in Canada at the time was to send more soldiers (under UN guidelines) to Afghanistan in order to assist our NATO allies .... in particular, those allies who were involved in the Iraq war. Naturally .... our ignorance of Afghanistan resulted in unprepared Canadian soldiers being dropped into Kandahar .... the center of the Taliban movement. Years later and after numerous casualties .... we are finally leaving that god forsaken place (starting next month).

Canada's Budget Officer Blows The Lid On The True Cost Of The F-35 Fighter

Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay, right, and Industry Minister Tony Clement walk past an F-35 jet in Ottawa last July. Parliament's budget watchdog says the government's contract to buy 65 fighter plans will cost billions more than previously estimated. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Canada Budget Officer Says F-35 Fighter Jets To Cost US$29.3B -- Wall Street Journal

OTTAWA (Dow Jones)--The Canadian government would pay about US$29.3 billion for the purchase of 65 Joint Strike Fighter F-35 fighter jets over a 30-year period, Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page said Thursday.

That estimate is much higher than government figures, and the Parliamentary opposition can be expected to play it up in a possible election campaign this spring.

Last year, the Canadian government said it would invest about C$9 billion (US$9.3 billion) to purchase the jets from Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT). Media reports have put the total contract, including maintenance, at C$16-18 billion.

Page's report said "the total ownership cost, expressed in FY 2009 dollars, for the purchase of 65 aircraft is estimated at approximately US$29.3 billion or US$450 million per plane."

Read more ....

More News On Canada's Participation In The F-35 Program

Canada fighter planes to cost billions more-report -- Reuters
Costs for F-35 fighter jets to soar: Canadian watchdog -- AFP
Canada's F-35 Fighter Jets Could Cost $29.3 Billion, Budget Officer Says -- Bloomberg
F-35 jets: Are you concerned about the costs of the government's plan? -- CBC
F-35 price tag expected to top $28 billion: report -- Vancouver Sun/Postmedia News
F-35 purchase could cost double: reports -- Toronto Sun
F-35 jets cost to soar to $29B: watchdog -- CBC
Fighter-jet price tag will approach $30-billion, budget watchdog warns -- Globe And Mail
Canada Expects Much Higher JSF Unit Costs -- Ares/Aviation Week
Stealth-fighter costs under budget officer's microscope -- CTV

My Comment: Someone in government is checking the numbers .... and does not like what he sees.

On a side note .... if the Canadian Budget Officer's numbers are correct .... he is telling us that the real cost of one F-35 plane will be more than one F-22, a stealth fighter that is (in my opinion) superior than the F-35.

So the following question begs to be answered .... does any of this make sense?

Relatives Of Tunisian Deposed Dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali Trying To Seek Asylum In Canada

Photo: Canada will comply with Tunisia's request to extradite Belhassen Trabelsi, the brother-in-law of Tunisia's former dictator, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon says. (CBC)

Canada Keen To Extradite Tunisian Billionaire -- CBC

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says Canada will do all it can to comply with the new Tunisian government's request to extradite the brother-in-law of deposed dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.

Billionaire businessman Belhassen Trabelsi and his family arrived in Montreal last week on a private jet.

"He is not welcome. We are going to find – in the context, obviously, of current legislation – ways to assure, as quickly as possible, that we might comply with the demand from the Tunisia government," Cannon told reporters in Val d'Or, Que., on Friday.

Read more ....

More News On Relatives Of Tunisian Deposed Dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali Trying To Seek Asylum In Canada

Canada moves to extradite, freeze assets of exiled Tunisian billionaire -- Globe And Mail
Tunisia's Ben Ali relative asks for asylum in Canada -- AFP
Ben Ali’s Brother-in-Law Makes Canada Refugee Claim, CBC Says -- Bloomberg
Belhassen Trabelsi wants to stay in Canada as a refugee: Foreign Affairs -- Montreal Gazette

My Comment: This bum .... no other word to describe it .... is hold in a very expensive hotel that is only 20 minutes away from my home in Montreal. The idea of him claiming refugee status ( which means he can get welfare support) makes me puke. Prime Minister Harper, to his credit, has made it very clear that Belhassen Trabelsi is persona non grata in Canada, and will be deported. Unfortunately .... he .... and his entourage of corrupt relatives .... will use the legal system to try and stay as long as possible here. But the end is going to be the same .... this gang will be deported to Tunisia sooner rather than later.

Canada Denies Arresting A Mossad Agent Involved In The Assassination Of A Hamas Official

Suspects in Dubai assassination of Hamas operative Mahmoud al-Mabhouh

Canada Denies Arresting Suspect In Death Of Hamas Militant -- Globe And Mail

Dubai’s outspoken police chief insists a Canadian security official informed him of the secret arrest of a Mossad assassin, even though Canadian officials deny having ever told him that.

“A senior Canadian security official here told me in July that they have made an arrest of one of the suspects,” Lieutenant-General Dahi Khalfan Tamim told The Globe and Mail on Tuesday.

Read more ....

Update: Canada denies arrest of suspect in Dubai assassination -- Haaretz

My Comment: I know that the Arab media is playing up this story, but I live in Canada and I have good contacts within the government .... in short, they are all telling me the same thing .... there is no truth to this story.

Canadian Colonel And Rising Star In The Military OCnvicted Of Two Murders And Multiple Sexual Assaults

Canadian Col. Russell Williams, center, shows Defense Minister Peter MacKay and Gen. Walter Natynczyk aircraft to be used in Haitian earthquake relief effort from the Trenton, Ontario, base on Jan. 17, 2010. Williams was charged a month later with two homicides and sexual assaults. Department of Defense photo handout by Warrant Officer Carole Morissette. UPI

Disturbing Details As 'Obsessive' Colonel Pleads Guilty To Murders: Russell Williams Posed In Victims' Underwear

BELLEVILLE — A disturbing and lurid tale of sexual depravity came to light Monday morning as a Belleville, Ont., courtroom learned of Col. Russell Williams' strange predilections.

As family members of victims looked on in tears, Williams, 47, pleaded guilty to two first-degree murder charges, two charges of sexual assault and confinement, and more than 80 counts of break, enter and theft, the latter related to a string of fantasy-driven crimes in Ottawa and Tweed, Ont., during which lingerie, underwear, bathing suits and shoes were taken from bedroom drawers and closets.

Read more ....

More News On The Conviction Of Canadian Colonel Russell Williams

Col. Russell Williams pleads guilty to all 88 charges -- CBC
Graphic photos shown after Williams pleads guilty -- CTV
Canadian colonel pleads guilty to murders, sex crimes -- AFP
Canada air force commander pleads guilty to murders -- BBC
Canadian colonel admits two murders -- The Guardian
Decorated pilot who flew the Queen pleads guilty to double murder and sexual assault -- The Daily Mail
Psychologist: Killer colonel 'very rare' -- UPI

My Comment: This officer was on the fast track to the most senior levels in the Canadian military. Disturbing ..... does not even come close to what many are feeling in the Canadian military today.

Highway Of Heroes Canada

CF 18 Pilot Ejects Seconds Before His Plane Crashes

Seconds From Disaster: Pilot Ejects From Fighter Jet Moments Before It Crashes In Giant Ball Of Flame -- The Daily Mail

With only a split second before his plane hit the ground in giant ball of flame, this air force pilot miraculously managed to eject to safety.

As Captain Brian Bews, 36, of the Royal Canadian Air Force performed a daring low pass of an airfield yesterday, his CF-18 fighter jet suddenly stalled.

But his quick reactions and his rocket-powered ejector seat saved his life as he was catapulted out of the stricken £30million aircraft.

Read more ....

More News On This Spectacular Crash

Crashed jet's pilot in good condition -- CBC
Friends say injured CF18 pilot doing well after crash -- CTV
Pilot survives after CF-18 crashes, burns at Lethbridge airport -- Calgary Herald
Pilot safe after jet crashes in Alberta -- National Post
Pilot in hospital for observation after Alberta jet crash -- Montreal Gazette/Post Media News
Pilot escapes from fighter jet moments before crash -- BBC (Video)
Pilot ejects from fighter plane moments before crash -- The Telegraph
Fighter plane crash: 'You just have to get out of there' -- The Telegraph

Canada Makes A Commitment To Purchase 65 F-35s

Visitors take a closer look at a Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet at the Singapore Airshow 2010 in February. Photo AFP

Canada To Buy 65 F-35 Jet Fighters In C$9 Bln Deal -- Reuters

* First planes to be delivered in 2016

* Opposition says will freeze deal if it takes power

* Stories of huge maintenance contract untrue, says Ottawa (Adds quotes, background)

OTTAWA, July 16 (Reuters) - Canada will buy 65 new fighter jets from Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) for C$9 billion ($8.6 billion), one of the biggest arms deals in the nation's history, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said on Friday.

The first of the new generation Joint Strike Fighters will be delivered in 2016. The F-35s are designed to replace Canada's CF-18s, which are scheduled to reach the end of their working lives in about 2020.

Read more ....

More News On Canada's Intent To Purchase 65 F-35s

Ottawa to announce $16B bid to buy fighter jets -- Toronto Star
It’s official: Ottawa spending billions on new fighter jets -- Toronto Star
Canada To Invest C$9B To Buy 65 Fighter Jets From Lockheed Martin -- Wall Street Journal
Canada to buy 65 Lockheed Martin fighter jets -- AFP
Row over Canada F-35 fighter jet order -- BBC
Conservatives defend new $16B fighter aircraft deal -- National Post
Canada Plans to Buy F-35s, but Hurdles Remain -- New York Times
Liberal government would put fighter-jet plan on hold -- Globe And Mail
Liberals vow to shoot down fighter jet deal -- Toronto Sun
Canada Liberals Want Committee to Review Fighter Jet Contract -- Washington Post
Canada opposition assails F-35 fighter jet contract -- Reuters
National Post editorial board: Remember the Sea Kings -- National Post editorial
Just what we need: a $16-billion fighter jet -- Jeffrey Simpson, Globe And Mail

My Comment: ELP Defens(c)e has been covering this story for the past few weeks and is a must go to place for news on the F-35, his blog is here.

No Armed Drones For Canada Until 2015

A Canadian Heron unmanned aerial vehicle sits on the tarmac at Kandahar Airfield in March 2009 before a surveillance mission. Canada's military plans to acquire armed drones by 2015. (Murray Brewster/Canadian Press)

Armed Drones For Canada Years Away: Official -- CBC

A senior Canadian air commander says the military is at least five years away from acquiring armed drones.

Maj.-Gen. Yvan Blondin, the commander of 1 Canadian Air Division, says he believes it's likely to take that long before Canada acquires the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Blondin was making a rare visit to Kandahar Airfield, where he was briefed on Canada's air operations in southern Afghanistan.

Read More ....

Update: Canadian Forces face long wait for armed drones -- Toronto Star

My Comment: The Canadian Air Force brass still like their big jets .... and the idea of diverting scarce resources to unmanned drones that are armed for missile strikes is a concept that will take some time for them to get use to.

Canada Remember's It's Fallen Soldiers From Afghanistan

People pay their respects by waving flags on a bridge over the Highway of Heroes as the hearse of Lieut. Justin Boyes drives along Highway 401 in Whitby on Oct. 31, 2009. Aaron Harris/Toronto Star File Photo

Highway Of Heroes Ride To Honour Veterans Who Died After Returning Home -- Toronto Star

The organizer of a ride down the Highway of Heroes wants Canadians to join him Saturday in honouring soldiers who were injured in Afghanistan and died after returning home.

Randy Young says it’s a chance for the families of those soldiers to make the trip along Highway 401 from CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario to Toronto, the route taken each time the casket of a soldier killed in Afghanistan is returned from the country.

Read more ....

Update: Fallen soldiers finally honoured (Video included) -- Toronto Sun

My Comment: To better understand what the "Highway of Heroes" means to Canada, the following Memorial Day broadcast from NBC in 2008 catches the spirit. The next video is a Highway of Heroes tribute.