Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre announced plans for a permanent military base in Nunavut, funded by significant cuts to Canada's foreign aid budget. Poilievre stated that the base, CFB Iqaluit, would serve Royal Canadian Air Force operations in the Arctic and for search and rescue missions, becoming operational within two years of his potential prime ministership. He asserted that all base costs would be covered by the foreign aid budget, which he intends to reduce considerably, claiming it will contribute to deficit reduction. Poilievre criticized current foreign aid spending, accusing it of benefiting dictators, terrorists, and global bureaucracies, emphasizing the need to prioritize domestic issues. He also pledged to double the number of Canadian Rangers to 4,000 and purchase four heavy icebreakers, aiming to bolster Canada's Arctic defense in response to perceived foreign threats.
OTTAWA — A Conservative government would built a permanent military base in Nunavut and pay for it by"dramatically cutting" Canada's foreign aid budget, Leader Pierre Poilievre said Monday in Iqaluit.
"One hundred per cent of the cost of the base will come from the foreign aid budget," he said."In fact, today's announcement will actually reduce the deficit because I plan to cut foreign aid more than the full cost of the announcement that I've made today," he said. Poilievre criticized foreign aid spending, saying much of it goes to"dictators, terrorists and global bureaucracies."Poilievre did not offer a concrete estimate of the size of his proposed"massive" cut to the foreign aid budget.Poilievre also pledged to double the number of Canadian Rangers to 4,000 and to purchase four heavy icebreakers — two each for the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy.
Poilievre said he supports current Norad modernization initiatives and would continue that work if his party is elected, but added that Canada can no longer count on the U.S. to protect the Canadian Arctic.
ARCTIC DEFENSE FOREIGN AID MILITARY BASE CONSERVATIVE PARTY PIERRE POILIEVRE
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