The Battle Of The (Canadian) Bulge

Governments throughout the Western World, along with both mainstream and alternative media, as well as thinktanks and academics, are aflame with the talk of a soon to be general war! Many national governments, including Canada's, are significantly increasing their military spending when, financially speaking, they can ill afford to do so!

That Canada's federal government members would discern any benefit in participating in a general war speaks volumes, in my opinion, to the lack of reality which permeates the Parliamentary buildings in Ottawa. Canada's army is capable of fielding half a brigade (2,500 men) with modern warfare equipment. The unit would survive perhaps a day and a half to two days combat in either Ukraine, Taiwan, or Korea!

Some individuals suggest the answer to this situation is to introduce military conscription. This ignores the fact that the challenge for the Canadian Armed Forces is as much a supply problem as a manpower one. Canada does not possess the manufacturing base to supply large amounts of troops with the equipment necessary for modern warfare. Conscription could also create a fifth column. It was idle Russian troops in Petrograd (St.Petersburg) in 1917 who joined civillian protestors in initiating events which led to The Russian revolution. It was idle German sailors in 1918 who helped conduct the overthrow of the German Kaisar regime which assisted in causing the German surrender in WWI.

There is a further reason Canadian lawmakers should not join in a general war in 2025, or the next few years thereafter. That reason is the Battle of the Bulge. No, not the battle launched by Nazi Germany during December 1944 which was their last military offensive along the Western Front during WWII. Rather The Battle of the (Canadian) Bulge waged by 72% of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel against their ever expanding waistlines.

An internal CAF study revealed that 44% of personnel are overweight, while a further 28% are obese. Broken down by gender 78% of men are overweight or obese while 57% of women are overweight or obese. An indication of how incredibly alarming this stat is is revealed by the fact that among the civillian population 68% of Canadian men are overweight or obese while 53% of civillian Canadian women are overweight or obese. In other words civillians in Canada are less fat than their soldiers, sailors, or airmen/women. Clearly the rather bland Canadian flag with it's uninspiring Maple Leaf should be replaced with a more apt Tim Hortons emblem.

How far the Canadian military has devolved in this regard is revealed by a comparison with an internal CAF 1989 study which found 5% of personnel were obese while 17% were overweight. That was in a force of 88.000 individuals. Current military numbers are 58,000 full time members.

That the CAF brass is ashamed of this condition is indicated by the fact they tried to keep the study's findings a secret. Ottawa Researcher Ken Rubin only acquired the study after numerous Access to Information Act requests. Repeatedly stalled by CAF personnel, Rubin finally, after much effort, achieved the goal of possessing the study's findings. In January 2025 journalist David Pugilise of PostMedia News authored an article on the study's results, which was then published in the Winnepeg and Ottawa Sun newspapers.

If the Canadian government political leaders do foolishly (in my opinion) send their military forces into war, perhaps the best strategy to keep casualties low is to appeal to Russian, Chinese, and Korean's sense of humour. Canadian warriors could be sent into battle waving pretty coloured banners which carry the inscription, "Canadian Armed Forces, We're Tons of Fun!"

Reference

Almost Three-Quarters of Canadian Troops Are Overweight or Obese

by David Pugilise, Ottawa Sun, Winnepeg Sun, PostMedia News, January 27, 2025