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1234 days ago
David Pugliese CanWest News Service; Ottawa Citizen Tuesday, July 18, 2006 CREDIT: Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor. OTTAWA - The top officer at Canada's Royal Military College tried unsuccessfully to fight the Conservative government's decision to deny a degree to a retired American general who is critical of the U.S. government under President George W. Bush. Brig.-Gen. Jocelyn Lacroix, the college's commandant, argued the decision to award such honourary degrees was independent of the political process and even went as far to suggest Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor should use his "ministerial powers wisely" when intervening in such matters, according to records obtained by the Ottawa Citizen. The college had planned to award retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni an honourary degree in May until O'Connor, the Prime Minister's Office and the Privy Council Office intervened and ...1240 days ago
By BOB HOLLIDAY, STAFF REPORTER Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor responds to questions yesterday at 17 Wing. C.PROCAYLO Sun Defence Minster Gordon O'Connor offered his condolences yesterday to the family of the latest Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan but denied claims Cpl. Anthony Boneca, 21, had been misled about the nature of his mission. O'Connor received an enthusiastic round of applause from about 100 members of Canada's military at 17 Wing in Winnipeg when he said soldiers have no choice but to follow orders. "You don't vote in and you don't vote out of an operation. You don't get a choice of what you do or don't do. This is the military," said O'Connor. "You only volunteer once." The family said Boneca, who was to return to Canada in 19 days, said during a recent call he was so desperate to return home he contemplated telling an army priest he was suicidal in the hopes of being discharged. ...1240 days ago
Afghan civilians who are accidentally injured or killed, or whose property is damaged by Canadian soldiers have no legal right to compensation under an undisclosed arrangement signed by the two countries last year. Instead, restitution to mostly dirt-poor villagers depends upon an obscure claims process that would provide payments under “moral considerations,” say heavily censored documents obtained by The Canadian Press under access to information laws. In the course of combat operations, “Canadian personnel will not be liable for any damages to private or government property,” said a briefing note prepared for Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor on the accidental shooting of a civilian last March in Kandahar. An arrangement between Canada and Afghanistan was signed in Kabul on Dec. 18, 2005, by the Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Rick Hillier, and the Afghan defence minister — the same day as a controversial agreement over the handling of detainees. The unpublicized ...
1242 days ago
18:41:19 EDT Jun 30, 2006 SEAN PATRICK SULLIVAN TORONTO (CP) - A slew of Canadian Forces announcements touting plans for more planes, helicopters and trucks will help attract young people toward military careers, the head of this country's air force said Friday. Canada's aging military equipment will be either replaced or bolstered through $17 billion in investments promised this week by Ottawa, including $8.3 billion announced Thursday for the purchase of 21 aircraft. The announcements are "good news" and will help counter public perception that the air force's equipment is old and not up to the job, said Lt.-Gen. Steve Lucas. The Canadian Forces also aims to rewrite its policies to better reflect a generation of young people who often try a number of jobs before settling on a career, and who might leave the military after being trained, Lucas said. "We want to make it easier for them to come back to us, and bring not only the experience ...
1242 days ago
Last Updated: Wednesday, July 5, 2006 12:22 PM CT CBC News Canada's first woman military leader in the North has been welcomed to her new post in Yellowknife, but she says she initially didn't take the job offer seriously. "On the one hand I was thrilled that the force had the confidence in me to nominate me," Col. Christine Whitecross, the new head of Joint Task Force North, said at a ceremony Tuesday. On July, 4, Col. Norm Couturier (left) handed over command of Joint Task Force North to Col. Chris Whitecross (right) in a ceremony overseen by Lt. Gen. Marc Dumais (centre), Commander of Canada Command (WO Marie MacKinnon/ JTFN) "But on the other hand I was a bit overwhelmed with the prospects of such a daunting task." Whitecross replaces Col. Norm Couturier, who led the 3,460-member military unit in the vast region for the last two years. "It's one of the best days in the life of a senior officer in the Canadian ...
