Harper defends MacKay over VIP jets
- Thread starter petros
- Start date
Hello Jazz? Yes this is the Minister of Defense. I'd like to Charter a plane to Afghanistan. The pilots must have top secret security clearances and be familiar with war zone flight rules. The plane must be equipped with an electronic security measures pod and the friend or foe transponder. I'd like the plane 5 minutes ago.
Hello? Please stop laughing... Yes I'm serious. Are you saying you don't have any planes or pilots that meet my requirements available on a minutes notice? Well then how long would it take for you to get planes and pilots that meet my requirements? I see... Well can you recommend another commercial airline which has a fleet of aircraft and pool of pilots which meet these requirements? Doesn't exist you say? Well I was assured by a reliable source that Jazz charters are ready when needed.
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That boy is a little beyond the pale, if Harper wants to retain any credibility, it's time to shorten up that guy's leash, better yet, pension him off!
I'm not sure how many of you are aware of it but DND has a regular airbus flight schedule across Canada that often times only has a few pieces of freight and one or two passengers by the time it gets to Comox. Since it is in the air anyway there is no reason that politicians or for that matter any taxpayer should not be able to hop on and off at the various bases, space available of course. There is also SAR aircraft that must fly a certain number of hours each month that might as well haul passengers as fly in circles.
We have a few dozen senior officers who use these aircraft. I would add that we have spent a pile of money training our military
people and they are able to assess our requirements at the various locations where we have deployed military personal and equipment.
I wouldn't like to see the VIP aircraft become taxis for anyone, least of all politicians looking for photo ops. For most of our needs commercial airlines are more than adequate.
MacKay should just consider himself damn lucky that he is not a politician in a country where rickshaw is the elite mode of travel. :lol:
Is that honestly how you see things working? Politicians have schedules, and showing up late when the coffin rolls off the aircraft wouldn't really go over all that well.
I agree that the pilots and the whole air crew/ground crew that keep these machines running need to have training, I mean that was what the board determined to be the cause of the CH 149 crash in Nova Scotia a few years ago, inadequate training for the pilots.
But I doubt that ferrying the Minister of Defense is something that just pops up, I'm sure those flights are planned well in advance. Probably best to train crew using conditions more relevant to the operational expectations of the assets and crews...
One thing for sure, he has no business flying at public expense while he is on holidays- case in point Tofino B.C. :smile:
I agree that the norm should be a scheduled flight. But periodically they have to test the system with the equivalent of a fire drill to prove the system will work on a minute notice. Problems can exist which can be smoothed over if scheduled in advance.
One purpose of this fleet is to allow senior ministers to attend last minute business even when on vacation.
Search and Rescue operations aren't the same thing as chauffeuring the Minister of Defense. That's not a drill...
Really?
So in the event of an emergency when the gov't must convene post haste, they should call Jazz?
True it is not a drill but crews must put in a minimum amount of air time every month to keep their qualifications. And since we own the planes and the crews are on salary it makes sense to use these planes rather than charter private ones. Besides which if the senior politicians were forced to ride in a Sea King we would get replacement choppers far more quickly.
I certainly wouldn't call Jazz but I might call Westjet.
Nope, never said that. I said that picking up a Minister to fly him somewhere is not the same thing as searching for say, fisherman who capsized at position X and have been in the water for 3 hours.
I really think this is false equivalence. I really don't think the military is so inept that the choice is to train on the roles they are expected to perform, or transport a Minister in order to keep the hours up. If that is the actual dichotomy, then our government is seriously mishandling the Defense file.
Just to add, I should be clear. I'm actually fine with them using the Challenger jets, that are intended to transport VIP's. I'm not fine with flying hours on search and rescue helicopters being used for transporting VIP's.
No, you made it about that. What EAO is talking about, was to test the readiness.
Whether they're scrambling for a SAR mission or scrambling to pick up a minister, they're scrambling.
This would be less of an issue if the Conservatives apologized and admitted they make mistakes occasionally. They prefer to vehemently and loyally defend any small or large misdoings.
New defense: If you don't support Peter Mackay, you don't support the troops. Conservatives actively degrading the health of public discourse and accountability.
New defense: If you don't support Peter Mackay, you don't support the troops. Conservatives actively degrading the health of public discourse and accountability.
Have you been living under a rock for the bulk of your life?
While you missed the fact that Macleans headline is misleading, if not out right fallacious.