Ex-military chief welcomes defence boost amid growing ‘chaos' around world

Canada's former chief of the defence staff says he's glad to see a renewed urgency in Ottawa to boost defence spending given the ever-increasing global threat environment, which he describes as 'unpredictable' and even 'crazy.'
Retired general Wayne Eyre, in his first interview since leaving the top military post last year, says the 'sheer number of conflicts and wars around the world' has made the need for Canada to invest in its national defence ever more critical.
'The rules-based international order that for so long provided the guardrails against large-scale international conflict — those have been eroded, and what's emerging we don't know yet, but it is much more dangerous and this transition period is rife for miscalculation,' he told Mercedes Stephenson in the interview, which aired Sunday on The West Block.
'We have chaos reigning around the world. It's crazy out there.'
Story continues below advertisement
Eyre made the comments shortly after Israel launched strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities and killed Iranian military commanders in an attack late last week. Iran soon retaliated by striking the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
That conflict is unfolding amid Israel's ongoing military offensive in Gaza, while Russia continues to ignore international efforts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine. Fighting is also raging in other parts of the Middle East and Africa.
Eyre said he remains most concerned about the alignment between Russia and China, both of which have sought to gain entry into the Arctic. He said the 'disregard for sovereignty' and the proliferation of nuclear technologies by hostile actors are threats that 'we need to be very worried about.'
2:07
How will Canada meet its defence spending targets?
Eyre was replaced as leader of the Canadian Armed Forces by Gen. Jennie Carignan, who stood next to Prime Minister Mark Carney last week as he announced the federal government will invest over $9 billion in defence this fiscal year.
Story continues below advertisement
Carney said the investment will ensure Canada meets NATO's defence spending target of at least two per cent of GDP — a goal Carney had previously said wouldn't be met until 2030.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
'Defending the country is the top role of a government. Everything else is secondary,' Eyre said.
'The realization of that, given the increasingly dangerous world that we're in, that was excellent to see.'
The new defence spending plan will focus immediately on boosting pay and benefits for Canadian military members, as well as the restoration of bases and existing equipment.
Eyre, who warned while serving as chief of the defence staff about Canada's military readiness, said focusing on people and infrastructure was particularly important to restore that capability.
'You can buy all the nice, new, shiny equipment you want, but if you don't have the people, the infrastructure, the components of readiness that go into making a capability work, it's useless,' he said.
He added that 'it's going to take some time' to restore that readiness, however, 'because we have had decades of hollowing out of the Canadian military, and you can't just fix that overnight.'
'What we need, and I am detecting it, is a sense of urgency to get us ready to face this increasingly dangerous world.'
Story continues below advertisement
Carignan has said her top priority is boosting recruitment to the armed forces. Nearly 7,000 people joined Canada's military over the last year, the government said last week, exceeding recruitment goals and marking a 10-year high in enrolment.
2:08
Carney vows to meet 2% NATO defence target this fiscal year
Canada will face further pressure to ratchet up its defence spending at this month's NATO summit, where allies will be asked to agree to a new target of 3.5 per cent of GDP with an additional 1.5 per cent on broader security-related investments, for a total of five per cent.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed NATO members to boost defence spending to five per cent and take on more burden-sharing for the military alliance.
Eyre said the entire federal government and all political parties must remain committed to ensuring Canada's renewed defence investments are sustained into the future, as well as educating Canadians on why they are needed.
Story continues below advertisement
'We've got to be in this for the long run,' he said.
'We can't just be doing it because our allies berate us. We have to be doing it for the right reason, and that's to defend Canada against some very, very real threats.'
Ottawa also says the procurement of new equipment will prioritize Canadian defence manufacturers as well as partners in Europe in a bid to diversify away from reliance on the United States.
0:27
Canada should no longer send 75% of defence capital spending to the U.S., Carney says
In an interview that also aired Sunday on The West Block, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said talks with the U.S. on securing a new security and economic partnership include the recent defence investments.
Yet he stressed that any co-operation with the Americans is contingent on removing tariffs on the Canadian economy.
Story continues below advertisement
'Our obvious desire is to work on that partnership with the Americans,' he said.
'At the same time, as they're hammering our automobile, steel and aluminium sectors, those border tariffs (related to issues of) fentanyl and illegal migration — which has, thank God, been massively, massively reduced if not resolved — why would those tariffs and the threat of those tariffs still remain in place?'
Eyre said a 'mesh' between investments in U.S., European and Asia-Pacific defence partnerships is in Canada's national security interest given the unpredictability in Washington.
'Alliances are predicated on certainty, and if there is uncertainty, that raises the question as to how reliable an ally is,' he said.
'In my belief, we need to hedge. We need to have a diverse group of allies, partners and friends … because we just don't know what the future is going to bring.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Global News

34 minutes ago

• Global News

Ontario city skyline to undergo drastic change after ‘iconic' landmark toppled

For years, residents and visitors to Sudbury, Ont., knew they were approaching the Nickel City when they saw the Inco Superstack. 'For us, it's a beacon in our community,' Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre told Global News. 'You see Superstacks, you're near home, right? You're almost there because you can see it from pretty far away.' But the skyline of Sudbury is undergoing a drastic change as plans are underway by current owner Vale Base Metals (VBM) to tear down the structure, as well as its neighbouring copper sister. The company has made the Superstack and its little copper sister obsolete by finding more environmentally friendly way of dealing with emissions. Before the arrival of the chimney, which residents refer to as 'the Smokestack,' Sudbury was known as an environmental disaster, as spewing toxins made vegetation and wildlife in the area disappear. Story continues below advertisement 'Vegetation could not survive,' Lefebvre said. 'And certainly in the Copper Cliff area (where the mine is located) was really bad.' Then came the Superstack in 1972. Standing more than 1,250 Ft. high, it was, for a short time, the largest freestanding structure in the Western Hemisphere until it was surpassed by the CN Tower. Until it disappears, it will remain the largest chimney in Canada. 'If you look at the history of why it was built, it was just to get the sulphur to go further instead of having it landing right beside the community,' Lefebvre said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He noted that while that was a major innovation for its time, things have continued to evolve. In 2010, VBM, which acquired Inco in 2006, first announced the Clean AER Project, which would see the towering chimneys replaced with environmentally friendly and efficient methods of dealing with nickel extraction. 'The Superstack and Copperstack have been iconic landmarks in Greater Sudbury for decades,' said Gord Gilpin, director of Ontario operations for VBM. 'While we appreciate that the city's landscape will look different after these structures are dismantled, our business has evolved and improved over time and this project is part of that evolution. We are modernizing our facilities and reducing our environmental footprint and, in so doing, laying the groundwork to ensure that our next century of mining in Sudbury is as successful as our first 100 years.' Story continues below advertisement The company says the move will eliminate 100,000 metric tonnes of sulphur dioxide emissions each year (equivalent to 1,000 railway tanker cars of sulphuric acid). It will also see the end of the Superstack and its copper counterpart, as they were decommissioned in 2020, and have been dormant ever since. The company is just about finished with the demolition of the smaller Copperstack and is expected to turn its attention to the Superstack this summer. 'It's a massive undertaking of how they're going to do this,' Lefebvre said. 'They had to prep for it the last five years and here we are, we're on the cusp of it.' The company says it will take about five years to pull down the towers and while some have argued that the towers should remain as a tribute to the city's mining history and effort to clean up, the mayor said that is not a realistic option. 'There are some folks in the community that think we should keep it, but again, it's not ours, right?' he said. 'It's the company's and it's a liability, because if they just leave it there, the whole thing will rust and the inside will, then it becomes a liability.' Lefebvre also noted that the structure sits atop an active nickel mine, so there is no way it could ever be an attraction for people to visit and would be something that would need to be admired from afar. Story continues below advertisement While he is sad to see it go, the mayor noted that it is a weird twist that a place that once held such a bleak landscape would hold such an important stake in the world's environment. 'The irony of all this is now Sudbury, that was one of the most polluted places back in the '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s, is now obviously contributing enormously with our critical minerals to our environment,' he said. 'All electric vehicles and all battery, it needs nickel and we are the ones providing that across our entirety in the world.'

Toronto Star

an hour ago

• Toronto Star

A deadly race for food: Palestinians in Gaza risk harrowing journey day after day

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Each day, Palestinians in Gaza run a deadly gantlet in hopes of getting food. Israeli troops open barrages of gunfire toward crowds crossing military zones to get to the aid, they say, and knife-wielding thieves wait to ambush those who succeed. Palestinians say lawlessness is growing as they are forced into a competition to feed their families. A lucky few manage to secure some packets of lentils, a jar of Nutella or a bag of flour. Many return empty-handed and must attempt the ordeal again the next day.

Winnipeg Free Press

2 hours ago

• Winnipeg Free Press

The Latest: 2nd week of Israel-Iran war starts with renewed strikes

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The second week of the Israel-Iran war started with a renewed round of strikes despite talks between European ministers and Iran's top diplomat. Friday's talks, which aimed at de-escalating the fighting between the two adversaries, lasted for four hours in Geneva, but failed to produce a breakthrough. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump continued to weigh his country's military involvement and concerns spiked over potential strikes on nuclear reactors. Still, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue but stressed Tehran wasn't interested in negotiating with the U.S. while Israel continued attacking. Here is the latest: Tehran vows to make Grossi 'pay' A senior adviser for Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, vowed in a social media post Saturday to make the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency 'pay' once the war with Israel is over. Ali Larijani's threat comes as IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has become a major target for many Iranian officials who say his conflicting statements about the status of Iran's nuclear program incited the Israeli surprise attack last week. Grossi told the United Nations' Security Council Friday that while Iran has the material to build a nuclear bomb, it appears they have no plans to do so.