I am nightly affected by television images of Prime Minister Harper pouring over our portfolio and trying to find ways to save Canadians money — perhaps he’ll suss out further waste in public programs like social welfare, health care and environmental protection.
Clearly, Canada needs to return to its roots; from what historian Peter C. Newman once described as “the company that became a country”, to revert to “a country that becomes a company”.
Let’s consider the Canadian military.
We have plenty of expertise in our Canadian Forces, a proven world-class product marketable to regimes in need of help. Witness companies like Blackwater doing much of the heavy lifting in Iraq where using their own citizens as soldiers is too awkward and ineffective.
Once privatized and with a diversified mission, unencumbered by Parliament, Canadian security forces could contract with troubled states where resources like oil, gas and other coveted exports can pay for their services.
Supplemented with foreign contracts, an independently chartered corporation, let’s call it CanadArms International, could make our military into a for-profit global enterprise and thereby less of a burden to Canadians.
With a global mission, CanadArms International would be contracted by Canada itself at less cost to our own taxpayers on account of the profits gleaned from wealthy but besieged clients worldwide.
Enhanced domestic security to protect us against evildoers from countries where CanadArms International is ‘lending a hand’ could be managed by a privatized RCMP. Profits from UN contracts in places like Haiti could subsidize policing at home.
The RCMP could do globally what they have always done best at home, defend wealth and suppress troublemakers. This at practically no cost to taxpayers and returning profits to some of our struggling pension plans.
A privatized RCMP could, through favorable mergers, streamline service and profitability.
These proposals are further to the principle that “if you are not part of the solution, there is good money to be made in prolonging the problem”.
These and other responsible initiatives by The Conservative Party of Canada will prove that Canadians don’t need more taxes for government programs, just better portfolio management.
Dave Cursons
Cawston