Stephen Harper Sinks Ships of the Canadian Navy

With Harper on a "sale at Tiffany's" spending spree for new military equipment, he is ignoring a vital Canadian service: The Naval Reserve.

They are losing three million dollars from their budget. Harper spends that much on grey hair dye and toupees.

Canada's naval reserves are facing a five per cent budget cut, CBC News has learned. The $3-million rollback will affect sailors based in Nova Scotia. The cut, which the navy describes as a "re-allocation," will be announced in a couple of weeks, but reserve personnel have been told what to expect.

Training exercises will be hit the hardest. Commander Tim Gijzen, a spokesman for the reserve, said Thursday that "50 per cent of training will be cut." The reduction will apply to every trade and every job, he said.

The NDP is furious:

New Democrats have long questioned the government’s priorities when it comes to defence spending. “The irony is that the Conservative Government’s defence policy is called Canada First,” said Harris. “However, we have seen the responsibilities for patrolling Canada’s coast line and search and rescue take a back seat to the astronomical cost of the war in Afghanistan."

This government already cut the funding of the army reserves. They are good enough to fight and die in Afghanistan, but not good enough to be shown respect at home.