HANNAFORD: Ex-Alberta emergency chief says Ottawa destroying national security agencies - as a matter of policy

Retired Lt. Colonel David Redman, former head of Alberta's emergency management, has accused federal authorities of the intentional erosion of Canada's national security apparatus over the past 11 years.“To go from calling China the largest strategic threat to Canada one year ago and now calling it a very significant strategic partner is a completely intentional act. You can't say it's not. And so from my point of view, each of the steps in the degradation of Canada’s 10 elements of national security have been thought through and are intentional.”.Speaking on the Hannaford show, Redman outlined the "purposeful destruction" of agencies responsible for geopolitical analysis, intelligence services, border controls, immigration policy, and policing. He argued this was not the result of negligence or misplaced priorities under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but deliberate acts aimed at weakening national unity and validating the prime minister’s understanding of Canada as a "post-national state.".He said they have been "intentionally destroyed or reduced in capability," to erode Canada's ability to defend its culture, values, and sovereignty. Redman drew parallels to policies under Pierre Elliott Trudeau, suggesting his son continues a similar agenda by prioritizing global interests over national ones."When you bring in people who do not share your common interests and values," he said, "it's an intentional act to break the unity."Redman further points to Canada's proximity to the United States as a core geopolitical reality that should be strengthened, not undermined..Redman is no stranger to controversy. An open critic of the governmental approach taken at all levels to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was particularly critical of Alberta, arguing the province ignored its own well-developed emergency plan.It was one that he helped author. In 2005, working with the Deputy Minister of Health, Redman co-chaired the rewrite of Alberta's pandemic influenza plan following receipt by the government of a World Health Organization document warning that lockdown procedures – measures such as school and business closures, border restrictions, and sheltering at home cause far more harm than good and should be used only as a last resort, if at all.The resulting Alberta plan, updated in 2014 and still available on the Alberta government website, emphasized a whole-of-government approach across departments such as transportation, infrastructure, and water supply. It explicitly avoided reliance on lockdowns..But, says Redman, in 2020 the general Canadian government response did "exactly the opposite" of the plan's recommendations: elected officials panicked, deferred to medical officers of health, and imposed escalating restrictions fueled by fear rather than evidence-based emergency management.He contrasted Alberta (and Canada's) approach with that of Sweden, which avoided lockdowns and fared better, as did Florida under Governor Ron DeSantis, who abandoned lockdowns after the first wave following advice from experts like Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. Redman noted ongoing societal costs, including rising suicides, mental health issues, and educational losses – studies he cited suggest one lost year of schooling can reduce a child's lifespan by three to five years and economic capacity by five to 10 per cent.Redman, long retired by 2020, said he contacted every provincial and territorial premier's office monthly urging adherence to existing plans but received rejections everywhere, including from Alberta. He later published a report titled “Canada's Deadly Response to COVID-19” calling for accountability for what he views as gross negligence..He warned that without holding officials accountable, similar mistakes would recur – potentially worse – citing Canada's signing of a WHO protocol that he believes shifts power away from elected leaders.Asked whether the US action in Iran might have implications for Canadians, Redman thinks not but advocates rebuilding individual and community resilience as a matter of general principle and urges people to prepare for the first 72 hours of any emergency.Hannaford airs at 7:00pm MT.

HANNAFORD: Ex-Alberta emergency chief says Ottawa destroying national security agencies - as a matter of policy

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