Something’s gotta give.
That’s the message the Canadian military’s top operations commander delivers now every time he meets with federal public safety officials and desperate provinces struggling to respond to domestic, climate-related disasters.
If the statistics are any guide, however, Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie’s message is falling on partially deaf ears.
During 2023, the military conducted 141 straight days of operations supporting civilian authorities — a record.
Auchterlonie was asked during a year-end interview with CBC News this week whether the military had been over-used during the recent run of weather and wildfire crises.
“Short answer is, I would probably say, ‘Yes,'” said Auchterlonie, who added that
