Yesterday I read a freelance piece published in yesterday's Sun that surprised me in its blatant use of misinformation, Remembering Canada's dangerous foray into nuclear weapons.
Writer Robert Smol starts early with some explosive rubbish.
"Fifty-five years ago — on Dec. 31, 1963 — the Liberal government of Lester Pearson formally acquired American-controlled nuclear weapons for use by the Canadian military."
First of all, the RCAF took delivery of Boeing CIM-10 Bomarc missiles in 1963 under Pearson's Liberals, but the ball first got rolling when the government of John Diefenbaker -- a Conservative government -- agreed to take the Bomarc system. (The Conservatives waged an intraparty battle but ultimately decided against a nuclear-tipped missile; although Pearson was at first against the nuclear option, he changed his mind. The Liberals won the 1963 federal election.)
Smol somehow equates -- he is writing for the Sun, after all -- the above with Liberal incompetence and deceit.
That's only the beginning. It gets worse.... (Example: Canada must enjoy a mutual defence system with the U.S., contrary to what Robert Smol thinks. And the Conservatives have been every bit as "dependent" as the Liberals on the matter of "defence dependency".)
By the way, the Bomarc missile was phased out in 1971, under Pierre Trudeau's Liberals.
This is perhaps my favourite point of Mr Smol's:
"Politically, I must admit that Liberal governments of the 60s and 70s were shrewd!"
It's the bold use of the exclamation mark that does it for me.
First of all, the RCAF took delivery of Boeing CIM-10 Bomarc missiles in 1963 under Pearson's Liberals, but the ball first got rolling when the government of John Diefenbaker -- a Conservative government -- agreed to take the Bomarc system. (The Conservatives waged an intraparty battle but ultimately decided against a nuclear-tipped missile; although Pearson was at first against the nuclear option, he changed his mind. The Liberals won the 1963 federal election.)
Smol somehow equates -- he is writing for the Sun, after all -- the above with Liberal incompetence and deceit.
That's only the beginning. It gets worse.... (Example: Canada must enjoy a mutual defence system with the U.S., contrary to what Robert Smol thinks. And the Conservatives have been every bit as "dependent" as the Liberals on the matter of "defence dependency".)
By the way, the Bomarc missile was phased out in 1971, under Pierre Trudeau's Liberals.
This is perhaps my favourite point of Mr Smol's:
"Politically, I must admit that Liberal governments of the 60s and 70s were shrewd!"
It's the bold use of the exclamation mark that does it for me.
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