Remember those days when you'd had your dinner and you couldn't wait to rush out and play road hockey with your buddies? The days when there was no video games or internet..It was a ritual, of sorts. Two guys, two alpha-types, or maybe they were just older, would take turns picking their team from the available players..Of course, they would pick us, right? But no ... as each round went by, we were left out..The best players were chosen first, and then the rest of us. Meanwhile, we stood there waiting, leaning on our cheap Hespeler wooden hockey sticks, with shiny, brand new electric tape..Trying to put on a brave face in the face of humiliation..Know what it's like to be last man standing? Not a good feeling. But, at least you ended up on a team and you had something to prove..I'll show them, you said to yourself. I will score. I will punish them! Even if they are bigger and tougher..Well, ladies and gents, that is pretty much Canada's situation on the world stage these days..We are last man standing when it comes to military alliances. Nobody really wants to play with us, but sometimes they just ask us to take part — and largely, it's a token effort..Yeah, sure. Invite Canada. It makes them feel important. Maybe they'll bring us some Tim Horton's coffee..Case in point: Canada contributed an aging big galoot to take part in Operation Neon — a United Nations effort in Asia-Pacific waters to monitor sanctions against North Korea and prevent the rogue nation’s development of weapons of mass destruction..In other words, we are saving the world. Sort of. Well, not really. In fact, we are kind of a joke..The lone Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft we have volunteered to take part, described by some experts as a "big, lumbering" plane, is routinely buzzed by Chinese fighter pilots, giving us the finger..According to Global News, some of these Top Gun-like interceptions have come as close as 20 to 100 feet, prompting angry Canadian officials to send diplomatic reprimands to Beijing, calling the Chinese pilots’ conduct “unsafe and unprofessional.”.No doubt, Xi Jinping is shaking in his boots at these official Canadian complaints..I mean, c'mon. China knows Canada can't do anything, nor will it do anything — our prime minister has no backbone. None whatsoever..Weak on all matters military, he's more concerned about turning our nation into a "green" wonderland, with his let-us-save-the-world-by-killing-Alberta-and-the-oil-industry climate plan..As Rex Murphy says, rather than actually leading the fight against global warming, we are "a leaf on a river," nothing more. It's pathetic and embarrassing..Worse yet, Justin admires China, and has proffered a kid gloves approach in foreign relations, fearful of making waves. A policy that allows Beijing's leaders to run roughshod over us..But why, in God's name, are we there at all? The Aurora taking part in Operation Neon, is a token effort. They probably don't even want us there..That aircraft should be patrolling the Arctic or our coastlines, not playing tag with Chinese fighter pilots, who are mocking us and getting away with it..Look at what has taken place over the last year..It began with AUKUS, the Australian, United Kingdom and American tri-lateral security pact, which involved a top-secret US$121 billion nuclear-powered submarine deal..A huge alliance, which completely ignored Canada and pissed off France. Red-faced officials in Ottawa downplayed the deal, but clearly, it was a slap in the face. A very, very big slap in the face..Essentially, the folks Down Under were handed the keys to the US American security vault, one of America's remaining advantages over China — its advanced sub technology..They ... don't ... trust us. Simple as that..And if that was not enough. Then came another AUKUS kick in the crotch..Earlier this year, the US and Australia signed an exclusive deal to develop hypersonic weapons..According to GlobalData, the hypersonic market is predicted to reach US$49 billion in 2030, with the US making up a significant market share..Under the new pact — endorsed by US President Joe Biden, UK prime minister Boris Johnson and former Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison — officials from the three member countries set up 17 trilateral working groups..Of these, nine are focused on nuclear-powered submarines and the remainder target other advanced tech, including quantum, artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities and hypersonic missiles..Again, Canada is left standing, alone, holding its Hespeler hockey stick — nobody wants to play with us. And why should they?.All those high-tech sectors are crucial areas that Canada should be involved in — a major setback for our country..And finally, there was the recent Quad Summit trade meeting in Tokyo, linking Japan, the US, Australia and India in a unique pact dedicated to upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific..The elite members of the QUAD group announced a maritime initiative to combat illegal fishing and pledged to invest more than US$50 billion in developing infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific as part of their efforts to counter China’s growing influence in the region..The meeting, which was set up to respond to China’s economic and military might, also discussed climate change, technology and COVID-19, as well as the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine..One more humiliating slap in the face for the pinstripe types at Global Affairs Canada..They ... don't ... trust us..Not that it matters now, but Canada — always the laggard — was the last country in the Five Eyes intelligence group to ban Huawei technology due to security concerns..Everybody else followed the US lead, but no ... not Canada. God help us, if we actually stood up to Beijing..Canada has also been repeatedly warned by the FBI to tighten its security procedures against classified leaks to Chinese intelligence, or Five Eyes would withhold shared intel..The Trudeau government has downplayed several devastating Chinese intelligence coups, sweeping them under the rug with the rest of China's misbehaviour..And while 14 countries have already ordered, or have deployed the fifth generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), Canada has yet to ink the deal with Lockheed Martin for 88 fighters jets, which was announced in May..But let's go back to that fleet of 14 big, lumbering 1970s-era CP-140 Auroras, that will be replaced under the so-called Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) project..According to TheFreeLibrary.com, the Aurora has been a workhorse for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) for decades..Originally designed for anti-submarine warfare, it is capable of flying more than 9,000 kilometres without refuelling. It has taken part in missions ranging from the monitoring of illegal fishing fleets to the hunting down of a drug trafficking cartel's mini-submarine..Over the last decade, Canada's Defence Department spent more than US$1.6 billion to upgrade the plane. That has involved the installation of new navigation, communication and data management systems and new surveillance sensors..But the time has come to replace the four-engine turboprop, long-range maritime patrol aircraft that first went into service more than 30 years ago, when Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau was still holding court and the CP-107 Argus was still flying..Enter Boeing's new state-of-the-art P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, which is currently being flown by aviators from the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea and Germany..Canada, true to form, has yet again dragged its feet on procurement and is well behind in establishing much needed interoperability with its NORAD and NATO allies..Boeing's P-8A is designed to conduct anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare drills, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and search and rescue operations — exactly what Canada needs, as the antagonistic Russian Bear builds up its military forces in the Arctic.. P-8A Poseidon.P-8A Poseidon. .Team Poseidon, consisting of Boeing, CAE, GE Aviation Canada, IMP Aerospace & Defence, KF Aerospace, Honeywell Aerospace Canada and Raytheon Canada, forms the cornerstone of a Canadian P-8 industrial footprint, Naval Today reported..The team builds on 81 Canadian suppliers to the platform and to more than 550 Canadian suppliers across all provinces. Suffice to say, we need this..But even if the decision were to be made soon — the deadline for request for information (RFI) was April 1 — Canada is looking at a 2032 initial delivery time frame..By then, the world will have probably changed drastically. Who knows what challenges await us as a nation 10 years from now..As usual, we will likely take shelter under the United States military umbrella because our government is too feeble-minded and gutless to actually protect our shores..And while our armed forces are world class and stack up against anybody on the planet, they're not getting the financial and political support they need — not even close..I'm not telling you anything new, of course. The Liberal disdain for spending on Canada's military is legendary..Unlike the kid chosen last in street hockey who may earn the respect of his pals after all, Canada has fallen ever deeper into the abyss of fading global clout..Why else would Chinese fighter pilots be buzzing us and giving us the finger?
