Defence chief ‘very concerned’ about readiness against growing threats – National | 24CA News
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre says Canada “has much work to do” to have the ability to face a declining safety state of affairs all over the world.
Eyre instructed Global News’ Mercedes Stephenson on the nationwide Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa Saturday that he’s “very concerned” about Canada’s readiness, after spending a lot of the previous yr warning that the world is dealing with unprecedented safety threats amid the continued conflicts in Ukraine, Israel and the Gaza Strip, and rising tensions with India and China.
“We have much to do to get our readiness back to where it needs to be,” he mentioned.
“We are not insular here in this country. Events around the world can directly impact our security.”
Canada’s historical past in previous wars, present safety troubles, together with the continued conflicts all over the world are trigger for vital reflection, Eyre mentioned.
“It’s a deeply, deeply personal day,” he mentioned.
Thousands of Canadians attended the nationwide Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa and at cenotaphs throughout the nation to honour the army servicemen and girls who put their lives on the road.
The ceremony occurred after a yr that noticed the Canadian Armed Forces deploy hundreds of troops to battle home disasters, together with the historic wildfires that blazed a path of destruction from coast to coast to coast.
But as Canada takes in all that has occurred prior to now yr, eyes flip to those that have fought in battles all over the world from the Second World War to the Korean War, in addition to more moderen conflicts like that in Afghanistan.
More than a million Canadians served within the Second World War. More than 45,000 died and one other 55,000 have been wounded. Another 33,000 fought within the Korean War.
Veterans Affairs Canada says there are 9,267 veterans of the Second World War and Korean War who’re nonetheless alive in Canada.
Gov.-Gen. Mary Simon, who’s Canada’s commander-in-chief, was in attendance and presided over the ceremony.
For the federal government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended alongside Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas-Taylor.
Petitpas-Taylor instructed Stephenson on the ceremony that “services at Veterans Affairs have to evolve,” noting that roughly 8,200 members from the Canadian Armed Forces retire yearly.
The minister mentioned it is crucial that care providers are ready for the number of challenges trendy veterans might expertise corresponding to post-traumatic stress dysfunction (PTSD) and different psychological well being circumstances. Baby Boomers are additionally growing older and now searching for long run care providers, she added.
“Those are the types of conversations that we continue to have,” Petitpas-Taylor mentioned.
In a Remembrance Day assertion, Trudeau inspired Canadians to put on a poppy and take two minutes of silence to honour those that have fought, in addition to troops who’ve taken half in peacekeeping missions and people who are coaching Ukrainian troopers.
“Remembrance Day is an opportunity to recognize members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have courageously answered the call of duty. When it was needed most, they left behind their families and homes,” Trudeau mentioned. “Many returned with severe trauma, or didn’t return at all. Their sacrifice is a debt that we can never repay.”
The Silver Cross Mother this yr, Gloria Hooper from St. Claude, Man., laid a wreath on the Cenotaph on behalf of all mother and father who misplaced a baby in uniform. Hooper’s son, Sapper Chris Holopina, was a fight engineer based mostly in Petawawa and was serving in Bosnia in 1996 as a part of Operation Alliance. He was 22 years previous on the time and was one of many 23 Canadian Forces members who misplaced their lives whereas deployed within the Balkans between 1992 and 2010.
The ceremony additionally comes as Canada marks the seventy fifth anniversary of the primary peacekeeping mission — held within the Middle East — which noticed peacekeepers monitor the truce between Israel and its Arab neighbours.
The CAF first participated in a peacekeeping mission in 1954 in Cambodia. Since then, Canada has participated in dozens of peacekeeping missions, with the longest ever in Cyprus lasting from 1964 to 1993, with a small contingent of army observers nonetheless there at the moment.
A separate ceremony for Indigenous veterans additionally occurred at 9 a.m. native time on the Aboriginal Veterans Monument.
— with recordsdata from The Canadian Press and Global News’ David Akin and Bryan Mullan
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
