To the Editor:
In preparation for World War I officials at the Canadian Department of Defense decided that a newer, more modern rifle was required to better equip our military. Since trench warfare was anticipated, a good supply of round mouth shovels was also considered necessary. The Minister of Defense of the day agreed and things proceeded full speed.
The Minister knew some friends who had a new rifle that they were anxious to manufacture and sell in large quantities. The Minster also had some associates who had recently designed a round mouth shovel which was relatively light weight. The light weight was achieved in part by designing the digging portion with a hole in it. It thus required less iron.
There was a need for haste. Little time was taken to draw up specifications or to try to ensure that the devices being promoted would perform as advertised. Certainly there was no time to be wasted in a widely advertised transparent tendering process to ensure good value.
This was how Canadian taxpayers sent their sons and daughters marching off to World War - carrying a gun that would not shoot and a shovel that would not dig. It is a wonder any of them got home at all and a miracle that they returned victorious. It tells us more about the character of the people in uniform than their equipment or about their leadership in the early stages of the war.
The Ross Rifle almost invariably jammed up after the second or third shot. Canadian soldiers took off their boots and used the heels to hammer at the jammed firing mechanism. Whenever the opportunity presented itself they picked up an abandoned Lee Enfield (British issue) and tossed their Ross in the nearest hedge row. The round mouth shovels ended up being piled in the handiest nuisance ground, usually in England. As soon as you tried to shovel with them they collapsed at the hole.
Does this not all sound familiar? Have we learned nothing in 100 years? No one knows for sure to this day how much taxpayers shelled out for these two pieces of junk.
Where are we to go now with our present F-35 fiasco? There are no clear specifications and no one took the time to decide exactly what was needed. There was no transparent tendering process to ensure good value for money spent. There is no one to be held accountable.
It is blatantly obvious that some people in the Department of Defense and some people in the federal cabinet are either incompetent or untrustworthy or both. Do we Canadians simply take leave of our senses when it comes to military procurement?
Mr. Harper, you are no longer just a partisan political leader. You are first and foremost the First Minister of this country. Those who are responsible must be held accountable for their actions. The Canadian armed forces require and deserve good equipment designed to allow them to do what ask them to do. The price must be reasonable. Canadians must be able to see and understand the process, at least its generalities. Democracy demands no less. A Prime Minister should understand this even better than an Auditor General.
Doug Cowling, Yorkton, SK.
