Why Americans say we spend too much on health care and not enough on warfare
Wall Street Journal complains Canada is not buying enough (U.S.-built) weapons
While Canadian media outlets joined with U.S. lawmakers in haranguing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over Canada’s military spending, the Wall Street Journal just came right out and said it.
Americans think Canada spends too much on social programs and not enough on the military.
The New York-based business newspaper ran an editorial lambasting Canada this week.
“Canada’s military abdication owes in part to a sense that it can free ride off the U.S. Another reason is that Mr. Trudeau’s domestic spending has made a hash of Canadian finances. Defense has lost out to the welfare state,” said an editorial.
By “welfare state” the establishment editorialists mean social progams – including Medicare.
Health care or warfare
By any measure, Canada’s public health system is far better than the U.S.’s private system.
Thanks to federal and provincial public dollars, we receive care based on need, not ability to pay. This means we have a higher life expectancy in Canada, as well as a lower infant mortality rate than in the United States. And we spend far less per capita on health care.
Canada’s military spending fuels the U.S. arms industry
The Wall Street Journal specifically targeted Canada’s spending on weapons – no surprise since a boost in weapons spending provides a bonanza for U.S. weapons corporations like Lockheed Martin, the world’s biggest arms manufacturer.
You’ll recall that during a recent interview with PeaceQuest, Canadian defence journalist David Pugliese explained that the U.S. pushes weapons spending in Canada and other NATO countries to create American jobs.
Pugliese says that the Trudeau government has announced billions in new weapons, including the F-35 fighter jets, made by Lockheed Martin. “What isn’t written is that in the last year the Trudeau government has announced $30-billion in new equipment deals,“ Pugliese told us. “Who wins in that? Mostly American companies.”
Unfortunately in Canada, you rarely get the real story about Canada’s military spending.
As Shirley Douglas once told me, her father, Tommy Douglas, used to say, “In the United States there are hawks and doves, but in Canada we seem to have plenty of parrots.”
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Thanks for everything you do for peace,
Steve
Just wanted to say “Another great article, Steve. ‘Loved the story - full of wit and true as well!
Thanks for all you’re doing for peace!
Dolores H
Why can't we get Canadian media and Canadian legislators to acknowledge that Canadian spending on weapons for war only benefits U.S. corporations like Lockheed Martin and others? CBC has so-called journalists, (are they paid by the war industry?) like Murray Brewster and a woman named Buck who appear on CBCTV's The National, promoting the idea that it is shameful that Canada does not live up to its 2% of GDP spending on war. Forget the 2% of GPD - that is just propaganda; it is the actual dollar spending that counts and Canada is #5 among all NATO nations. There is never any critique that says that the major crisis all of us are facing is the climate catastrophe that we see every day causing whole cities to be evacuated from incoming wild fires, or having their homes of many years destroyed by floods and wind. When will we wake up and realize we are being lied to by our own media and politicians?