The reputation of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is taking on water faster than you can say their motto: ‘Ready Aye Ready.’
In 2011, the HMCS Corner Brook, one of Canada’s notorious problem-plagued submarines, ran aground off the coast of British Columbia.
Red-faced navy officials under-reported the extent of the damage but the truth eventually leaked out.
Now the ‘Ready-Aye-Ready’ gang is acknowledging the HMCS Algonquin sustained significant damage to her port side and the HMCS Protecteur sustained damage to her bow when the two ships collided while en route to Hawaii.
When Prime Minister Harper was doing his annual northern summer tour, he emphasized the need for a skills training program. If the navy continues to play bumper-cars with its military assets, Canada will need several boatloads of highly skilled Chinese tradesmen just to keep our navy afloat.
The loud gurgling sound coming out of Ottawa can be traced to your tax dollars going down the drain.
No wonder Peter MacKay, the ex-minister of national defence and wannabe prime minister, jumped ship to become the minister of justice.
He will miss flying around in helicopters and playing stealth fighter pilot, but he is now less likely to become the victim of political collateral damage.
Lloyd Atkins