In the modern world, you either keep changing and evolving, or you find yourself at the mercy of forces out of your control.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that German submarine manufacturer TKMS is the preferred bidder to supply the navy’s next fleet of subs, calling the procurement “the largest in Canadian history,”
It was a very competitive process between the German firm and South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean.
The contracts will now be negotiated over the next year with an estimated initial cost for the dozen submarines of 24 billion dollars. Maintenance, upkeep and parts will likely quadruple that over the course of their lifespan.
While we had two very competitive bids, notice that neither of them came from the United States.
The world’s largest supplier of weapons, weapon technology and ammunition sat on the sidelines while we decided who to sign a mega-billion-dollar contract with and forge a vital new alliance.
80 years ago, that would have been unthinkable. 40 years ago, it would have been improbable due to politics and the state of the world. 20 years ago, it could have been a major rift in our North American military alliance.
But the world has changed, and we must change with it. Most importantly, nothing speaks as loudly as where you spend your money. Insult us a few times, and people stop going for daytrips south of the border. Make it a habit and continue to see us look outside North America to make Canada stronger and better equipped.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
