Restoring the Royal Canadian Navy and RCAF

excerpted from Financial Times August 16, 2011 9:18 pm Royalty restored to Canada’s armed forces By Bernard Simon in Toronto

Canada has restored a touch of royalty to its armed forces, demonstrating renewed affection for the British monarchy and underlining the military’s growing political clout.

Peter MacKay, defence minister, announced on Tuesday that the navy and air force, known for more than three decades as Maritime Command and Air Command respectively, would revert to their earlier names of the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force.

Also following the British example, the army, formerly called the Land Force Command, will again become the Canadian Army.

The switch, urged for years by veterans’ and other military groups, comes a month after a hugely successful tour of Canada by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the couple’s first foreign trip since their wedding last spring.

Colin Robertson, a former diplomat and now vice-president of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, described the move as “part of a much bigger effort that touches not just the military to remind Canadians that they have a rich heritage of which the monarchy is an important piece”.

Canada’s ruling Conservatives, led by Stephen Harper, have given high priority to the military since taking office in 2006. The government has ordered a new fleet of F-35 Lightning fighters and three big C-17 transport aircraft, as well as plans for a big new icebreaker to help assert Ottawa’s sovereignty over the Arctic. Canada has no aircraft carriers.

More symbolically, the government named Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s husband, an honorary admiral and general on his 90th birthday in June.

At a time of public spending restraint, “this is something you can do that doesn’t cost anything”, Mr Robertson said, adding that the military’s profile has risen further since the Conservatives turned their minority government into a majority in last spring’s election.

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Colin Robertson, August 16th 2011 | Tags: , ,
Posted in Newspaper

Canada’s campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council

From The Canadian Press Wednesday Sep. 22, 2010

…One seasoned international observer says it is silly to expect Canada will come up short next month, arguing that Portugal’s recent economic performance will be an impediment.

“The Portuguese have got some big problems,” said Colin Robertson, a retired diplomat and research fellow at the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute. “Do you really want that many Europeans on the Security Council?”

Canada’s perceived pro-Israel tilt in the Middle East, or complaints that it has been inattentive to Africa, won’t hurt next month, he said.

Harper’s growing stature as international statesman, Canada’s recent record hosting the G8 and G20 summits, as well as the Olympics, will ultimately win votes at the UN, said Robertson.

“He’s five years in the ring as prime minister. He’s now seen three Japanese prime ministers. He’s now seasoned,” said Robertson.

“We’ll be judged on our Canadian reputation and our record. The Canadian record is a good record, notwithstanding the domestic critics.”

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Colin Robertson, September 22nd 2010 | Tags: ,
Posted in Newspaper, TV Interviews

CPAC Broadcast on Canada and the future of NATO

CPAC Broadcast: On Septemer 21st, 2010, Paul Chapin, former director general for international security at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and Lieut.-Gen. (Ret’d) Michel Maisonneuve, former chief of staff at NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, with moderator Colin Robertson took part in a  lively conversation on NATO’s future direction at the opening session of the Canadian International Council’s National Capital Branch. The session was broadcast by CPAC. The report is available at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute.

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Colin Robertson, September 21st 2010 | Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Major Research paper, TV Interviews