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Calgary Herald

Your letters for Aug. 19: Canada's fighter fleet goals grounded by reality

I cannot fathom how badly the Canadian F-35 review missed the mark on affordability and Arctic readiness. The numbers make the failure painfully clear. To match NATO averages, Canada would need roughly 2,500 aircraft for territorial coverage or 5,000 to cover our coastline. The notion that we are building an effective fighter fleet is little more than a comforting fiction. The fighters planned would not even operate effectively without at least 20 more Forward Operating Locations, and three or four aircraft per site is almost meaningless for real defence. Article content Article content The RCAF seems captivated by the allure of a new, flashy plane instead of thinking strategically. A far smarter choice would be 250 Saab Gripens. These aircraft avoid the crushing infrastructure and maintenance costs of the F-35, and their lifetime upkeep is estimated at $6.6 million per plane, compared to the F-35's staggering $700 million. Article content Article content It is time for our political leadership to stop chasing prestige and start ensuring that Canada's defence dollars create real, operational capability instead of empty appearances. Article content Article content Article content Why aren't people reporting crime? That might be the better question. If you report a crime, and nothing happens, you still feel unsafe because the crime continues unaffected. Article content Article content Or worse yet, if you report the crime, and nothing happens, except the crime stats rise in your vicinity, your property value drops and your insurance increases because you are in a higher crime area. Why report the crime? Article content Article content Article content Dale Mcgonigal, Calgary Article content Article content ​ Summer of government discontent I was sitting here wondering how many people this provincial government would like to anger before the end of summer. First denying our disabled citizens their $200 cost of living increase from the federal government, yet thinking it was OK to give all of their MLAs a $200 a month cost of living raise this spring. Second, for every citizen who wants to get a COVID-19 shot in the fall, they are required to pay for it and it's now complicated to get. How many clinics are there in Alberta compared to pharmacies? Imagine the logistics to get everyone vaccinated in so few places! Next, all of the citizens who use are bike lanes. How happy are they that you are interfering in local politics? Lastly, using your power to deny anyone the opportunity to see how our politicians are using their expense accounts to spend taxpayers' money. This government makes it very difficult to feel like a proud Albertan. Government backs industry Once again, the federal government has shown whose side it's on. By forcing Air Canada employees back to work instead of allowing them to negotiate fair pay for boarding, taxing, and handling medical emergencies, they've made it clear: corporate profits matter more than workers' rights. Air Canada's CEO took home $12 million last year — yet the people doing the actual work aren't even paid for critical parts of their job. This isn't an isolated incident. The government has repeatedly intervened in labour disputes (Canada Post, dock workers) to protect big business while stripping workers of their bargaining power. If the government truly represented all Canadians, it would stay neutral or support fair negotiations — not legislate away workers' rights. How many more times will they side with CEOs over the people who keep these industries running?