Last October, Canadian Affairs had the pleasure of interviewing Lt.-Gen. Michel Maisonneuve for Coffee with Canadians, a series featuring conversations with prominent Canadians. This October, we are pleased to publish an excerpt from his new book, In Defence of Canada: Reflections of a Patriot, which can be purchased here.
From In Defence of Canada: Reflections of a Patriot by Lt. General Michel Maisonneuve. Copyright © 2024. Reprinted by permission of Sutherland House Books.
The military — being in the service of one’s country — used to be a highly regarded profession. Members of the armed forces were respected and appreciated, although often left in the background unless a crisis brought them to the fore.
Today, the idea of serving in our armed forces gets little traction with the public. It seems the moral contract under which our military personnel serve is broken. CAF members are holding up their end of the agreement: they agree to serve in the defence of our country, sometimes in the harshest conditions for many weeks or months on end.
Think of a sailor in January in the North Atlantic when the seas are rough and the ship is iced over, away from family, friends, and the safety of home as they patrol our coasts. Think of a soldier projecting our Canadian values for months at a time in far-away lands, in 50-degree Celsius heat, carrying thirty-kilogram packs, and under the threat of adversaries without honour. Think of a pilot who may have to fly unending missions until they are totally exhausted from the G-forces that pull on their aircraft as they patrol the skies in support of our international commitments and the protection of our sovereignty, only to be buzzed by Russian or Chinese bogies.
Or think of our special forces personnel, with the highest level of readiness of any in our military, sometimes at what we call “an hour’s notice-to-move.” This means from the time the alarm is sounded, they have one hour to be prepared to deploy.
They rescue hostages and usually deploy under the greatest secrecy without telling their families where and for how long they are gone. All are quite simply heroes, and most are unknown to average Canadians.
Our men and women in uniform accept their duty to face difficult situations in dangerous places to protect our country, to project Canadian values and to fulfil our commitments to our allies. And they do this while knowing that their life may be in danger. They understand also that they must be willing to give their lives if required to do so; or they may have to ask their subordinates to put their lives in danger. That is their part of the moral contract, what they sign up for when they join the CAF; it is what is called the unlimited liability clause. No other profession has this clause in its contract.
Canada and Canadians are the other party to the moral contract. In fulfilling their end, Canadian society also has duties and responsibilities, most importantly to provide the military with all it requires to be as successful as it can be in its mission. This responsibility includes ensuring our forces have the state-of-the-art tools they need, the best leadership, and the best education and training. The contract doesn’t end when their careers end; it also demands we look after them when they come home and transition to civilian life.
Canada is failing on those obligations and has been failing for many years. For Canadians generally, the armed forces are not important until there is a crisis, and successive governments’ support of the forces reflect that mindset. Our troops who have dedicated their lives to serve this country deserve better.
I have incredible admiration and respect for the young men and women who serve our country. They are the best of Canada, but Canada is not giving them the opportunity to be the best they can be. As they constantly did for me, they surprise with their energy, their enthusiasm, their initiative, and their ability; there is nothing they cannot do given the proper tools. They follow in the footsteps of our veterans, from the WW2’s “greatest generation” through the Korean war, countless peacekeeping missions, and Afghanistan. They are our insurance policy, and they need Canada to uphold its end of the moral contract.
Finally, there is also the fact that our military is indeed the service of last resort. General John De Chastelain was our chief of defence staff during the Oka crisis in 1990. The government of Quebec had requested support from the CAF to support the police in the standoff. I was in command of my regiment at the time and watching a press briefing. At one point, de Chastelain was asked what would happen if the CAF were not successful. The CDS soberly replied, “We will be successful, because after us there is nothing . . .” He was warning everyone that the CAF were the last resort and if we were not successful, there was no one else you could call on to re-establish order. It was a lesson to me as I was preparing to deploy with my regiment to a UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus.
The social or moral contract is, in my mind, neither appreciated nor understood by Canadians and their government. And if it is understood, it is not being fulfilled.
