Canada In The New World, Things To Do
We need to act proactively not to miss the important moment.
Since Trump's first threats towards Canada after his election, the topic of Canadian defence is on my mind. Initially I thought the primary danger was that Canadians will agree to the proposal.
Let’s face it, Canada is too close to its neighbouring country. Our economy depends on trade with the USA. Our media outlets are owned by Americans, many of them. We are interested in American celebrities, TV shows, and events. Our most viewed sports are integrated into a system mostly represented by Americans (NHL, NBA, by the way they are called “national“, what nation is it? Shouldn’t they be called international instead?).
American businesses are all over Canada. When I go from Montreal to Toronto for a couple days trip by default I have to fill up my tank at American gas station, eat at American owned fast food restaurant, such as Tim Horton’s, book a stay at American hotel with an American booking system. I try to avoid all of that now, but it takes an effort and extra money spent.
So my initial thought was, what if we are so close to Americans that Canadians will just agree to their crazy ideas? However observing the reaction of Canadians during the last few weeks I made sure it’s not the case.
Thankfully Trump made his proposal in an aggressive and caddish way, which helped forming Canadian stance. The people are ready to defend the country. Everyone is ready to participate by doing what they are qualified for. I’ve heard no price will be too high form many people. Quebecers and Ontarians are united like I’ve never seen before, and all other provinces are in agreement to resist.
Now that this question is answered, the danger shifts to another issue. What if we are not ready when it’s time to act? I’m sure chances of Trump’s invasion will be much lower once he sees he can’t take us by surprise.
Like Charlie Angus suggested we need resistance local chapters spread out across the country. These units can help coordinate efforts, meet like-minded individuals, obtain essential information, and prepare for the next essential step, basic military training.
Basic military training is important for any person ready to defend their land. It is the foundation for high-quality training of future professionals. Basic military training provides the necessary skills and knowledge to function effectively in a military environment. It consists of firearms and tactical training, engineering, skills in mines and explosive safety, tactical medicine, and the basics of working with army communications.
Basic military training helps defenders understand their duties and role in the military organization. They learn to cooperate with other units, perform various tasks, including defence, reconnaissance, security, and support operations. Basic training provides the basic knowledge that allows them to function effectively in difficult conditions, ensuring the safety of the population and the territory.
As a Generation X Canadian (almost 60 years old), in pretty good physical and mental shape, I already have the mindset the I need to enter into basic military training to help Canada to provide the maximal resistance to an invasion.
I am inspired by Simo Häyhä, the “White Death” sniper of Finland, during the 105-day Winter War invasion by Stalin’s Soviet Army. He killed at least 500 Russian soldiers by being prepared to fight with maximum stealth in the face of overwhelming odds.
We need to be prepared like modern-day Finland. Mandatory citizen participation in public service through military or civilian service to their country provides a unified citizenship, which has deterred Soviet and Russian influence since World War II.
The process of Finlandization will be a stark change from Canada’s peacetime passivity, but we can no longer rely on American protection through NATO and NORAD.
A solid defence of our home is necessary at this time of grave circumstances.
P.S. Cancellation of the F-35 stealth fighter needs to be high on our government’s list, as the weapons systems can be remotely deactivated by the USA.
Until such time as we can get organized into basic training and cross-unit communications, the first thing that anyone can do to get themselves ready is physical conditioning.
If you’re in horrible shape, start by walking. Push yourself, hard. No one said this will be easy, but your life may depend on it. Walk every day, up and down hills, find a beach and walk on sand, walk on loose gravel, wet leaves and mud. Anything to challenge all of the finer muscles from your feet all the way up to your shoulders.
When you can comfortably walk 30km in 4 hours, with a mix of hills, long slopes, and flat ground, the next step will be to do the same carrying some amount of weight. Personally, I use a laptop backpack with some bricks in it, but whatever you can find that’s comfortable. This is for conditioning, not anything more.
For those that have access to a gym and want to go further, resistance training is also good. Low weights, high repetitions. Work a bit of everything. Remember, conditioning, not building strength. That comes later. I find that anaerobics work well, with opposing muscle groups. For example, bicep curls 50 reps, then switch immediately (no rest) to tricep pushdowns for 50 reps. Alternate 3 times to make 1 set. Perform 3 sets.
One thing that full military basic training does is to condition soldiers to blindly follow orders, no matter what. That’s something that I certainly DON’T want done. People need to think. Military training that conditions the mind prevents people from using life experience to understand new techniques to doing things, or how to operate when the orders aren’t working. What makes some special forces “special” is the ability for everyone to be able to think on their feet. Know how your team is likely to react to a situation, and act in a way that is complimentary, to accomplish the mission or task at hand. Know the basics, follow your instincts.
Ideally, we’ll be able to get groups organized to do some of this together. And hopefully, a seasoned veteran familiar with the latest training techniques will be able to provide guidance.