Originally Posted by
4runner
defence/defense commitments. NATO and UN come to mind. National pride as well. You guys would get made fun of by the bigger kids too if you didn’t have an Air Force with any fangs. The Kenyans have a squadron of F-5’s and the Dutch have 6.5 million people and have greater offensive capability than you do...
National pride? Start a basic military training program at schools like USSR used to have and some European countries have now. A nation that has no large military force and still maintains its safety through other means (particularly diplomacy and good will) is much more respectable in my book than sabre rattling bullies.
And as for bigger kids laughing (and at the risk of derailing the thread), the biggest laugh I had at Canada was when their parliament spent 36 million dollars to investigate a 1-million overspend.
My point is two-fold:
1. Canada's geographic, climatic and political position makes them an extremely unlikely target for any foes, and
2. Even if Canada buys all fighters in the world, their offensive capabilities will still be nill - they are too far from any adversary. (Except one, but Canada attacking the US is less likely than Vulcans attacking Clingons.)