Will it happen? Will it be 2015? Who knows…The shipyard has gotten the grants and funding but it’s just too bad NO contracts have actually been signed. It’s really funny how gullible people truly are. Announce a budget, create a stir then make a foolish claim over the jobs that will be created. But once again NO contracts have been signed. Is this a sign? I honestly believe it’s history repeating itself. Anyone remember the CPF fiasco? Hmmm, what about our ancients relic destroyers? Not to mention our resupply ships that can’t even sail. And if you’re wondering if Canada has the oldest (the OLDEST) destroyers in active service out of all the worlds navies then the answer is yes. Really impressive there, Canada. All our government has done is spend a couple million on the Arctic patrol vessel blueprints. And get this, the plan is to name them the Berlin class!!! —GO NAVY!!! Right?
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2014.
I don’t have enough details to comment on any specific project you mentioned, OB, but it’s an unfortunate human trait to always be looking for “the big fix”: the mega-project or the multi-national company to come in and single-handedly “save” the economy if we subsidise them with public money, the lottery win that will set us up for life if we buy enough tickets, the superfood or supplement that will give us instant good health …. and on and on….
It isn’t a total loss, OB. The Irving CEO’s are getting great bonus’ this year, we should all try being happy for them. Also the bank of Canada has actually solved all our problems, incase you hadn’t heard, young people should simply accept unpaid work terms. It’s so obvious really when you think about it. Having trouble finding a job? Well work for free and then you won’t have any trouble. Seems like a real no-brainer to me.
No doubt, The Boy Who Would Be King will pull a Chretien when he gets in office. And the lion’s share of the renewed contract, for solar powered patrol kayaks, will go to a certain well known shipyard on the banks of the Saguenay.
And therein lies the the double-headed dilemna when it comes to defence procurement. If the nation was really concerned about giving our military what they actually need to do their jobs, they would buy off the shelf, from nations that have never let their ability to build naval vessels go to seed. Instead, the only way our military get new kit is by compromising the requirements to something that can be made domestically. (Read: Jobs for Quebec). Once in a very long while, a maverick government will buck precedent and give the sweetest plum to another part of Canada, but then comes a new government and the requirements are downscaled. The sad truth is, the only time our servicemen get decent weapons in a timely manner, is when the country is already at war.
We have a Navy? What do they do?
You mean if he gets into office. How many times have people said Harper was he forgone loser and then wound up as PM. PET Lite hasn’t shown much other than changing the foot in his mouth.
It used to be that you’d get a beer or a well-shot onboard for 50 cents! The good old days…
And yes OB, we all fell for the promises of riches and renewed beauty. And we all realized our mistakes years ago. Sorry to hear you just figured out the scam… it shall be KD and Jergens for a long while yet. That is, until we frack the shit out of this province… then who will be bathing in campagne?!
Now leave little Justin alone!
He’s being played by the “old guard” in the Liberals party. Remember that the provincial conservatives did this years ago with Rodney McDonald. You put up a pretty face along with some fancy promises and boom, your elected. His dad was a smart man; too bad that Justin can’t foresee his ultimate fate.
WHAT IS A SIGN?
“But once again NO contracts have been signed. Is this a sign?” GO NAVY!!! Right?
This is obviously an exercise in semiotics, that post-modern branch of philosophy which, while rejecting any metaphysical domain lying beyond the sign itself, maintains that everything is a sign signifying something depending upon the interpretation of the one doing the interpreting. Call him the semiotician. Being post-modern, the semiotician makes no claim that the sign represents some independent reality. To seek out the ontological status of the sign, in other words, is misconceived. So what, then, is a sign?
Given this philosophical framing, what can coherently be said about the fact that, while no contracts have been signed, the question as to whether it is still a sign still obtains. In other words, can the absence of a sign viewed in terms of an unsigned contract still claim semiotic legitimacy? Can it still be legitimately called a sign?
Intriguingly, the bitcher raises but does not answer the question, “Is this a sign?” An excellent semiotic move. In semiotics, one must never foreclose on one’s options.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
actually OB, the british have even older destroyers than us currently in service, at 45 years, vice our 43. The americans have coast guard cutters that are being phased out slowly that have 47 years easily. we certainly have old ships, the CPF program was a disaster, cannot comment on the Mid life refit of CPFs though for obvious reasons. One thing that i wonder if anyone truly payed attention to was that the ORIGINAL emphasis was to be put to the new surface combatants keel’s down, but then it slid to the AOPS and AOR ships(replacement for 2 billion in failed JSS ship procurement) since the govt push is Arctic Ops ships, cutting of the major capital ship steel wont be occuring until “2026” YAAAAAAAAY