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Trudeau’s mission to Mali is based on three considerations: promoting his objective of Canada’s securing a seat on the United Nations Security Council, providing some flesh to the bones of his peacekeeping plan manifesto released last December and reinforcing his agenda of gender equality as the force will be heavily composed of female members.

Ultimately the Mali mission is just another photo opportunity for Trudeau at the expense of Canada’s military.

France and Germany are reportedly very happy that Canada has agreed to enter the Mali maelstrom. The UN is also nodding approvingly.

But what of the CAF? Ultimately, appeasing the UN has little to do with fulfilling Canada’s core military commitments to defending national sovereignty and contributing to our membership in NATO and NORAD. It is in these vital areas that the Trudeau government is utterly failing our men and women in uniform.

Despite presenting a comprehensive defence policy last summer, it is increasingly obvious that the Liberals have written a play that is never to be performed and are making a commitment that might never be implemented. It is more a wish list than a plan, and if you think the spending commitments are anything else than future fantasy, just look at Trudeau’s appalling record on the CF-18 fighter jet replacement program.

After canning the F-35 joint strike fighter, promising and reneging on a stopgap measure to buy Super Hornets form Boeing, Sajjan announced that Canada would be picking up used aircraft from the Australians — who had just received their first shipment of F-35s. Now we know that the government wants the current fleet of CF-18s to keep flying till 2032.

It’s a grossly cynical betrayal of the military but symptomatic of a government that issues mendacious promises for a revitalized national defence while gambling with the frugal resources we do possess on a peacekeeping mission that, at the very least, will prove another unhappy experience in another African country where there is no peace to keep.

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David Krayden is a former Air Force public affairs officer and Parliament Hill communications manager who has worked in print, radio and television journalism. He writes and speaks about Canadian politics.