The three goals of the Liberal Government

An open letter to the new government on the priorities I would like to see.

After many grueling weeks and an election season that has proven to be more than tiring, we finally have a government with some form of a clear mandate to lead us through what is arguably one of our most challenging times in decades.

Mark Carney and the Liberal Party have secured their fourth term, and while just shy of a majority, they nevertheless now have the stage to lead. I have been a firm critic of the Liberal Party, particularly on defense, but now that the people have given them their blessing to form a government, we need to move on and ask what should be coming next.

Defence has played a major role in the Liberal campaign. It is not only a hot-button issue that many are demanding, but it has been a constant talking point of President Trump against us. There is a lot of incentive, and now a mandate for the current government to not only address the demands of our southern neighbour but to fundamentally restructure our security ecosystem for the new world we're living in.

There was a lot in the Liberal platform about defence. So much so that I had to compile it into an actual document! This isn't necessarily a good thing given the track record at play here, but it does give us a fairly comprehensive picture of what they want to do and the goals they are setting out to achieve.

As we await the official cabinet to be announced, I think it is imperative to outline what exactly this new government needs to do, an,d the first steps it must take to set itself on that path. I won't be going over the entire list, nor will I be doing some ranking. Instead, I will be going over the three immediate goals that I believe the Liberal government needs to take during this current session of parliament and the budget that will come with it.

There will be no order to this list in terms of priority or demand. Each of these items is important and needs to be addressed immediately to not only ensure that the proper foundational changes are started but also to further define the goals and priorities of this new government.

Let's get started.

1. A proper Foreign Policy

By far my big want, though I'm hesitant to call it the most pressing need. The Liberal government has promised to launch Canada's first Foreign Policy in over twenty years, along with an accompanying National Security report to go along with it.

The last time Canada had a proper review of its Foreign Policy was back in 2005 with the IPS under Paul Martin. I was in Kindergarten at the time. I am now married with three kids for those who don't know, so to say this policy is a wee bit outdated regarding the current geopolitical climate is warranted.

There is very clearly a divide among the various levels and organizations in government about what role Canada plays internationally. While some like CAF view Canada as an active player, one that needs to take a proper footing and project itself, others have very much still held on to the peace dividend that overtook Western political thought over the last three decades.

Add on the last harbingers of a Canada of old policy, the Canada of Cyprus and Bosnia, the blue helmet peacekeepers that sadly have not existed for decades now, and you can understand why our policies tend to have a natural divide in outcomes and goals.

We have clung to old mentalities, helped on by successive governments who never truly challenged them, and instead aimed to hold under the belief that things could return the normal, at least until they couldn't any longer.

The IPS couldn't predict the effects on Foreign affairs that the rise of social media, the rapid growth of populism in the West, and the collapse of American political supremacy would present. Yes, there were those warning of these things even before this document came out but to claim that those in power failed to listen to them is a revelation in hindsight, not an accurate measure of policy.

The point is this is long overdue and should have been done years ago. It should have been done along with Our North Strong & Free. The perfect world would have seen all of these presented as a comprehensive package, but sadly we are past that point.

The Liberal government needs to start work on this new policy as soon as possible. I am hopeful that the upcoming budget will include the initial funding needed to start this process. The longer we wait to define our position, especially at a time when CAF itself is looking at a major reorganization means more aimless wandering while we sit around debating what we are and what we want to do.

We aren't afforded the luxury of time anymore. We are quickly moving into an era of uncertainty, where the global system of order has rapidly faltered and our allies expect to know just how committed we are. How can CAF reorganize and rebuild if we don't even know what the governements foreign priorities are and what role they expect the various organizations like CAF, CSIS, and the CCG to fill in the broader international sphere?

Everyone has their ideas on what this looks like. We even heard Admiral Topshee speak about it at the Asia-Pacific Foundation earlier this year. They are quite clear, yet without the upper brass of government to give them their mandate, to give direction, how can they be expected to properly execute their vision?

That's why it's imperative to start work as soon as possible. Any possible delays to it, especially if we're discussing a potential year or two risks coming off as no-commital to our, allies, derailing and delaying plans, and risking our opportunity to jumpstart Canada's jump back into the International scene.

Successive governments have allowed our International standing to stagnate, and while the last two years have been better, and we're starting to make progress, I hope the Carney government does the right thing and gets a proper plan rolling.

2. Reworking the foundation

At the very core of our defence and security apparatus, there is something that has gone rotten. There is a structure being held up by increasingly makeshift and haphazard solutions, desperately clinging as people continue to sit around a table and debate if there is anything to fix at all.

This isn't a new development. It is not a development that anyone in the current government is responsible for starting. You can argue it's probably one defining trait in the history of Canada's military. We just kinda suck at certain things like procurement.

This, of course, is a broad statement. We have great success stories, yet we can't discount the multitude of decisions and policies that have led to us coming around in the circle of being underequipped and unprepared.

You can pull just about any examples, from the navy getting ships from Quebecois socialites to the scrapping of the Department of Defence Production under Diefenbaker. It makes things fun for me, someone who is very interested in history but sucks for the fact that we have almost perpetually allowed the system to work against us.

The Liberals have promised to undertake a rapid reorganization not just of our procurement system though. They've promised a new research organization in BOREALIS. They've promised massive investments in housing, child care and infrastructure. They've promised new financial tools, such as the Defence Capital Account.

A lot of their election platform is centered on trying to address these foundational issues that have long plagued the defence apparatus. They very much take the approach, as compared to the Conservatives, to go after structural rather than operational.

But the platform lacked detail. A lot of it. It was easily my biggest complaint, as many who read my work will know. The Liberal government desperately needs to clarify plans and set proper goals as soon as humanly possible to ensure that we have attainable metrics to go off of.

The good thing is that, as the governing party for the last decade, the Liberals aren't starting from scratch here. They already have a lot of preliminary work available to go off of and have already started the work on several different initiatives tied to things like infrastructure.

What should be immediately done though? In some cases, the work has already begun. Procurement reform is already in the works. It's been in the works for a while, with preliminary assessments and consultations being done. So some things I will say should stay the course for the most part, such as the current training and recruitment plans.

We have a very broad list here, so let me go over some of the things that can be immediately (within six months) to target these foundational issues:

• Increase the limits for Minor Capital Equipment up to $100m

• Establish a dedicated emergency infrastructure fund, set to a value of $300m/annum to address immediate infrastructure needs exempt from Treasury Board authorization, allowing CAF to address needed infrastructure at a reasonable level without needing to go through the traditional approval process.

• Set out a proper roadmap for the establishment of the Defence Procurement Agency, with established SMART goals and public accountability on its status.

• Introduce legislation to establish BOREALIS with an initial $2b endowment along with a detailed mandate to clarify its role in comparison to other organizations such as DRDC.

• Establish a proper housing target for the next four years, with financial incentives. This goal should at least aim for 5000 units with dedicated targets for 1-2 bedroom accommodations and larger family units, such as a, 2:1 establishment.

• Obviously, a proper pay raise as promised is deserved. What number is that? I don't know, but at least 15% seems reasonable. I know many will argue the pay structure itself needs remodeling which is something for later.

All of these goals are attainable, and in some cases, I am being deliberately restrictive. There is more to do, and I do expect the government in six months to go beyond just these few suggestions if they truly wish to take defence seriously.

These though feel realistic and easy to do. They are quick wins that fix some immediate issues while giving CAF extra room to do the things they need in the short term. These will especially be a help as CAF continues its broader restructuring.

Targeting these foundational issues will be hard. They will take time and significant capital to achieve results. Again we will have to go beyond them. Those however are multiyear processes, many of which are already in the process of being worked on, so focusing on some large, quick fixes can be a benefit to the Liberal government, both to show commitment and get early results quickly.

While it isn't glamorous, starting these changes now is imperative. We can't duct tape our way through a rotten system. We can't patch and work around what is inherently broken. Sure, we might mitigate for a while but inevitably we will cycle back into the same reoccurring issues as soon as someone decides that priority is best spent elsewhere.

It will take longer than four years. It is likely to take multiple governments, but we all know that. We've established that. So now the ball is in the Liberal's court to stand tall and do the hard work, even if they can't finish it.

3. Building relationships.

The last category I want to bring up is tightly related to my first but at a more grounded level. While we need a broader strategy for our International standing there is still much work to be done with our established allies, and far more we can do that the Carney government should be prioritizing while we work on rebuilding.

One thing the last days of the Trudeau government did fairly decent in is working on establishing relations abroad. This was an often unspoken and underreported development as officials across the Trudeau government attempted to quickly run through a list of high-profile meetings and events before an election.

Some of these underreported events include:

• New General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA) and Nuclear agreements with Poland

• A new series of high-level talks with South Korea, including several high-level agreements and meetings scheduled for this year, which I reported on here previously.

• Another round of Free-Trade Agreement (FTA) talks with ASEAN and an agreement to finalize by the end of 2025

• A round-trip of the Pacific, with visits and trade shows in Singapore, Brunei, Australia and Indonesia

• A new FTA with Ecuador and renewed trade talks with Uruguay

• The release of a new Africa strategy, even if it could have been better.

These are just a few of the developments in the last six months. We didn't get to see much of Mark Carney as Prime Minister to accurately judge his achievements but I can commend him for making Foreign Policy one of his early cornerstones in those few weeks.

Now he took a very Eurocentric approach to this, and I wish he had another week or two to perhaps do some extra, but the Liberal Foreign Policy has been one of the few things I am happy they defined in their platform. They've given a very nice set of goals and wants that clearly lay out what kind of agreements they want to see.

There is always more to do though, so I won't focus too much on what has been laid out. I will say it is very European-focused, which is fine, but I wish there was a bit more on the Pacific side. You can find the Liberal platform promises on it here:

There are a few great gems, including a Canada-EU Arctic Security agreement, a dedicated mention of the Nordic countries, and using Canada's current position as president of the G7 to promote like-minded values and further our International goals. These are all great starting points that the Liberal government should move quickly on, especially ahead of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis this June.

Building off the developments earlier this year is pivotal for the Liberal government to quickly establish itself on the world stage. This includes securing a proper agreement with the ASEAN market, beginning renewed talks with the Mercosur bloc in South America, and most importantly securing our spot in ReArm Europe.

Now ReArm Europe has been a major cornerstone of Mark Carney's desires. He has oftentimes put it at the forefront as the crown jewel of his foreign policy goals. While I don't believe we will get what he wants, a truly massive investment and opening of Canada's defence industry, it is nevertheless less a worthwhile effort and will provide new opportunities for Canada to build upon as a secondary partner.

For those who want my full opinion, you can check out my piece on production I did earlier this year. I do believe that ReArm Europe is a worthwhile endeavor despite my belief that we will find ourselves as a relatively stable junior, likely focusing more on the raw and part supply than on advanced manufacturing.

Beyond that though, my big hope is for more development with our Nordic partners. This has always been one area I have been very open about my desire to see development. We all share a common interest in the Arctic and common issues when it comes to Northern Development.

Working together on a comprehensive Arctic Security partnership, perhaps with some additional commonality in equipment, can both bolster our Arctic footprint and fulfill the Canadian government's desire to promote our defence industry abroad.

A Liberal government should absolutely be supporting British efforts to promote the Type 26 frigate to Norway in the name of Commonality with the Northern fleets of NATO. We should be actively promoting our more niche, specialized platforms, such as Cellula Robotics Guardian AUV, or Bombardiers Global platform to our Nordic allies, platforms we plan to use or are already in use.

On the flipside, Nordic companies like Saab, Patria and SH Defence offer several platforms to fit our needs, from the CUBE modular system to ground-based sensors and indirect fire platforms like the Patria NEMO.

Building these kinds of industrial relationships, especially in areas where Canada can provide raw materials and secondary manufacturing to our smaller partners is a prime example of how we can better secure manufacturing opportunities compared to working with larger countries like France.

Someone like Sweden for example will be far more willing to share in industrial benefits and IP transfer, where they can make up for their limits compared to larger countries like Germany which have the capacity to produce both their own internal and export demand. Smaller countries will almost always be more open to sharing these things than larger ones.

This also extends to the other side of the globe. I was hoping for more talks on the Pacific than the Liberals have given but I am hopeful that we will see more done on this file in the coming months. We already have several things in the pipeline as we speak.

A new Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) will soon be signed with the Philippines, and new agreements are in the pipeline with South Korea including a new MOU on joint training and technology sharing in the shipbuilding industry and a defence Roadshow this October.

My hope is we see a busy summer where these agreements, especially with Korea, are signed ahead of 2+2 talks later this year. This is something the Liberals should champion, quickly getting agreements done and signed to show that Canada is open for business and isn't backing down from our desires to divest American interests.

Securing all these by the end of the year, even if only starting talks on some fronts, would be a massive win for Canada's foreign standing, and ensure that we won't be losing out on developments in our ally's industrial and economic plans. This also extends to the economic side, for example in securing contracts and agreements when it comes to LNG as one major industry. Both Korea and Japan have signed billion-dollar agreements in recent months related to LNG and Canada will soon be adding tens of millions of tons per annum to our export capacity, upwards of 50MTPA to be exact.

I won't be one to turn this into an energy roadshow where I hype up oil and gas but we can't ignore both the economic and relational impact that it can have on the International stage. The Liberals have promised to expand our conventional energy capability, and while I don't care much for oil I do hope that he is serious on the LNG and Nuclear fronts, both of which provide us with major tools of political influence abroad.

There is obviously a lot of work to be done, and some of you might believe I am asking for to much, or am being to demanding. Some of you might think I am being to Conservative in my wants and not asking for enough.

Part of my efforts here are to be both fair, realistic, and still express my desires. We need aggressive. We need to put ourselves forward. The fact is that we need radical choices, done at speeds we havent been able to do them at. It is a lot to ask.

Am I putting to much faith in people? Perhaps, but I hold out hope that somewhere, something has changed. I have a hope that we can do better, that we can achieve all these. I dont believe that this is to much of a demand to ask.

I also have to be Conservative and recognize that people are human and that things will not get better quickly or easily. I would love to see things done at a scale of a National crisis but we all know that wont be happening.

I will hold out judgement until I see this new government in action. Nothing here is impossible to achieve within a year, not when the money has been put forward on the table, and when people are deamdning action.

There is no better time in fact than now. This might be the one opportunity for the government to be radical and extremist in their policies. I hope the current one does not waste it.

That's all I can ask of them.