Canada’s top general says we’re ready for war

Gen. Jennie Carignan is not a fan of mandatory service and has much work to do to modernize defences, but she’s a woman prepared for battle

Canada’s Military Posturing: A Hollow Boast from a Government in Shambles

While Canada’s top general declares readiness for conflict, a broken defense procurement system and scandal-plagued leadership reveal an institution unable to fight its way out of a policy paper bag.

By Eddie Hardie 🍁 Integrity Canada

Amidst what General Jennie Carignan calls “the most dangerous moment since the Cold War,” Canada’s military leadership has delivered a statement so disconnected from reality it would be comical if the stakes weren’t so high. The Chief of Defence Staff’s recent declaration that the Canadian Armed Forces are “always ready” for war emerges as a shocking piece of political theatre from a government whose defense policy has become synonymous with indecision, corruption, and breathtaking incompetence.

While the general speaks of readiness, her own department cannot make a final decision on fighter jets after fifteen years of dithering, and the government she serves funnels billions abroad while Canadian cities struggle with basic security. This isn’t military preparedness—it’s a dangerous fantasy sold to a public increasingly aware that their nation has become a geopolitical punchline.

The F-35 Farce: A Fifteen-Year Comedy of Errors

Canada’s approach to national defense procurement has become an international embarrassment. The ongoing saga surrounding the F-35 fighter jets represents not just bureaucratic inefficiency but a fundamental failure of governance that perfectly illustrates why Canada’s military boasts ring hollow.

• Endless Indecision: Canada’s fighter replacement program began in 2010 with a plan to purchase 65 F-35As. Fifteen years later, after multiple reversals, reviews, and political posturing, the country still hasn’t finalized what aircraft will defend its airspace. This isn’t careful deliberation—it’s paralytic incompetence on a scale that has drawn public criticism from the U.S. Ambassador, who called the constant equivocation “irritating”.

• Ballooning Costs: What was initially estimated as a $19 billion program has now ballooned to potentially over $30 billion when full operational costs are included. The Auditor General reported a 46% cost increase just since 2022. This isn’t fiscal responsibility—it’s financial malpractice enabled by a political class more interested in optics than outcomes.

• Strategic Confusion: The current government floats the absurd idea of a “mixed fleet” combining F-35s with Swedish Gripen fighters—a proposal defense officials themselves warn would be “inefficient from an operational standpoint”. This isn’t strategic thinking—it’s political pandering disguised as policy, creating needless complexity where clarity is desperately needed.

While military leaders like Deputy Minister Stefanie Beck warn that “it is impossible to underestimate the importance of having fifth-generation aircraft” to counter Russian and Chinese advances, politicians continue treating national defense as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations.

Billions for Ukraine, Pennies for Preparedness

Perhaps nothing better illustrates the warped priorities of Canada’s current leadership than its spending patterns. While declaring military readiness at home, the government has committed over $22 billion to Ukraine since 2022, with new packages announced regularly.

A December 2025 announcement alone pledged another $200 million for military equipment through NATO’s Ukraine initiative. These commitments come as:

• Canada’s regular forces sit nearly 6,000 personnel short of their already modest targets

• Critical air defense systems were divested in 2000 and still haven’t been properly replaced

• Military infrastructure and equipment ages into obsolescence

The government’s own announcement highlights donations of everything from Leopard tanks to winter clothing for Ukraine. Meanwhile, back in Canada, the military struggles with recruitment and retention. This isn’t international solidarity—it’s geopolitical virtue-signaling funded by the systematic neglect of domestic capabilities.

The Culture War Within: Military as Social Laboratory

While the Canadian Armed Forces should be focused on combat readiness, they’ve been transformed into a petri dish for social experimentation by ideologically driven leadership. General Carignan’s public emphasis on “organizational culture” and diversity comes as recruitment targets are missed and operational capabilities decline.

• Priority Inversion: The military’s public apology for “systemic racism” and focus on DEI initiatives coincides with persistent personnel shortages. One veteran’s response to the apology captured the sentiment of many: suggesting the military might rebrand as the “Canadian Feelings Force” or “Care Bears”.

• Recruitment Versus Reality: While the general points to exceeding last year’s recruiting target by 200 personnel (hitting 6,600 against a goal of 6,400), this modest success does little to address the structural deficiencies in a force that remains thousands below required strength.

• Civilian-Military Confusion: The exploration of using civil servants in reserve roles represents further blurring of lines between professional military and bureaucratic functions. This isn’t innovation—it’s institutional confusion at a time when clarity of purpose is paramount.

As one commentator notes, Canada has drifted to “the extreme Left on so many social issues” compared to other Western nations, with institutions becoming vehicles for ideological agendas rather than their core functions. The military appears no exception to this troubling trend.

A Government Hollowed Out by Corruption

The rotten foundation upon which Canada’s military posturing stands becomes clear when examining the broader governance context. As one analysis bluntly states: “Corruption becomes cultural, not because people become worse, but because the system becomes exploitable”.

• Institutional Decay: Canada’s state has become “a hollow shell of its former competence,” outsourcing core functions until “the capacity no longer exists inside the state at all”. A government that cannot manage basic procurement cannot possibly manage national defense.

• Scandal as Standard: From Ontario’s $2.5-billion Skills Development Fund scandal—where grants were directed to “weak but well-connected applicants, including one tied to a strip club”—to the federal “Green Slush Fund” scandal, corruption has moved from exception to expectation.

• Leadership in Crisis: Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation amid scandal and parliamentary suspension illustrates the profound legitimacy crisis at the highest levels of Canadian governance. When leadership is focused on political survival rather than national interest, military readiness inevitably suffers.

This context of systemic dysfunction makes General Carignan’s confidence not just misguided but fundamentally dishonest. A military is only as effective as the government it serves, and Canada’s political leadership has demonstrated breathtaking incompetence in even basic governance.

The Vassal State Reality: No Leverage, No Sovereignty

Beneath the bold declarations lies Canada’s uncomfortable truth: despite its geographic size and economic heft, the country has become a geopolitical dependent with “no leverage” and diminishing sovereignty.

• The American ‘Kill Switch’: Concerns persist that advanced U.S. equipment like the F-35 comes with American-controlled software updates and potential restrictions. One commenter noted pointedly: “Ukrainian F-16s were disabled for a while—why does an unstable Orange man need to be in charge of Canadian defence?”

• Diplomatic Irrelevance: As the F-35 debate drags on, one American observer commented bluntly: “Nobody cares here in the USA. Feel free to go with the Saab fighter, that decision will haunt Canada for decades”. This isn’t partnership—it’s paternalistic dismissal of a nation that has squandered its credibility.

• Strategic Illusion: Canada maintains the pretenses of an independent foreign policy while its defense capabilities remain utterly dependent on American goodwill. The government’s attempts to use the F-35 purchase as “leverage with US on trade talks” represent a delusional overestimation of Canada’s actual influence.

As one commentator summarized with brutal honesty: “What a pathetic weak country Canada has become… Our country has freeloaded off the USA for defence for decades”.

Conclusion: The Emperor’s New Armed Forces

General Carignan’s declaration of readiness represents the final absurdity in a cascading series of policy failures. Canada’s military boasts come from the same government that cannot procure fighter jets, cannot staff its forces adequately, and cannot govern without scandal.

The reality is stark: a nation that spends fifteen years deciding on fighter jets isn’t ready for war. A government that prioritizes foreign spending over domestic capability isn’t serious about defense. A leadership mired in corruption cannot command a credible military.

The tragic irony is that the Canadian Armed Forces themselves deserve better than the political leadership that has failed them at every turn. The men and women in uniform remain capable and committed, even as their institution is hollowed out by indecision, ideology, and incompetence at the highest levels.

Canada isn’t ready for war—it’s barely ready for honest self-assessment. Until the country confronts the systemic failures plaguing its governance and defense policy, such declarations of readiness will remain what they are today: empty words from a government that has lost its way, its credibility, and its grasp on reality. The first battle Canada needs to fight isn’t against a foreign adversary—it’s against its own demons of dysfunction that have brought the nation to this precarious moment.