armed forces
Canadian military members speak out after being told chaplains shouldn’t use ‘God’ in public prayers
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From LifeSiteNews
‘Freedom of religion, I’m afraid, is slowly being replaced by freedom from religion,’ one CAF member told LifeSiteNews.
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) gave their exclusive reactions to LifeSiteNews this week after being told they shouldn’t call upon God during public prayers in order to prioritize inclusivity and “diversity” just weeks before the national November 11 Remembrance Day holiday. The Minister of National Defence has stated that public prayer must “reflect the spiritual and religious diversity of Canadians.”
In exclusive phone interviews with LifeSiteNews, CAF members who are known to LifeSite but have asked to remain anonymous spoke out against what they see as an increased secularization of the military.
“In a nutshell, this change is: Abolish God from the public square,” one military member said, explaining that the “ethos undergirding the document” is one emphasizing the “spiritual” rather than the “religious.”
“Freedom of religion, I’m afraid, is slowly being replaced by freedom from religion,” another CAF member told LifeSite.
Their remarks pertain to an October 11 memo signed by Chaplain General Guy Belisle and obtained by The Epoch Times that directed Canadian chaplains to “adopt a sensitive and inclusive approach when publicly addressing military members.”
“While the dimension of prayer may occupy a significant place for some of our members, we do not all pray in the same way; for some, prayer does not play a role in their lives,” the memo reads.
Any “spiritual reflection” offered by military chaplains in a public setting (not including church services or private interactions with members) must be “inclusive in nature, and respectful of the religious and spiritual diversity of Canada,” according to the directive.
Spiritual leaders are also directed to “consider the potential that some items or symbols may cause discomfort or traumatic feelings when choosing the dress they wear during public occasions.”
Minister of National Defence Bill Blair responded to news concerning the directive by emphasizing that “Canadian Forces chaplains are not – and will not be – banned from prayer on Remembrance Day, nor at any other time,” The Post Millennial reported.
However, Department of National Defence spokesman said that chaplains giving reflections in public, mandatory military ceremonies “should not use the word ‘God’ or other references to a higher power such as ‘Heavenly Father’” in order “ to ensure that all feel included and able to participate in reflection no matter their beliefs.”
Active-duty CAF members who spoke with LifeSiteNews say the new directive effectively bans theistic prayer and sets up secularism as the only acceptable religion.
One military member told LifeSite that chaplains had been allowed to call upon a theistic God in an “inclusive” manner at public events like mess dinners and the celebration of Remembrance Day under prior guidance, but under the new directive “God can’t be invoked.”
He said military chaplains are further directed to be “mindful of the Gender Based Analysis (GBA+)” in their reflections, going on to explain that GBA+ is an “analysis framework that [officials are] using to basically re-examine their policies throughout the organization” for the purposes of advancing equity within the context of gender ideology.
Under the principles, the source told LifeSite, it could even be “problematic to say ‘God’ in the masculine, like in the ‘Our Father.’”
Another CAF member told LifeSite that the new memo has made military chaplains “so afraid of saying something wrong” that “even very liberal chaplains” are “too afraid” to write their “own reflection on Remembrance Day.”
He said the authentic variety of religious beliefs – in which Christians, Jews, Muslims, and others are able to express and share their faiths – is being exchanged for secular uniformity packaged as “diversity.”
The source told LifeSite that the recent chaplaincy directive amounts to “a purging of all traditional values” and a message that “the only acceptable religion now will be secularism.”
“If we can’t even live according to our conscience, if you can’t speak truth as we see it, then we’ve lost the essence of what it means to be the military,” he said. “We’ve lost our freedom.”
The first CAF member to speak with LifeSite explained that the new directive rests on the Canadian Supreme Court’s 2015 decision Mouvement laïque québécois v. Saguenay (City), which declared that “The state must instead remain neutral” in matters “religion and beliefs.”
However, he argued that neutrality shouldn’t mean banning specific religious expressions and noted that soldiers going into battle face an entirely different set of risks than ordinary government employees, up to and including serious injury and death.
“Given the realities of soldiering and everything that comes with that, I would ask, has that not changed the equation? Does that not change things?” he said. He argued that soldiers having “spiritual tools at their disposal,” including prayers and blessings, makes the CAF “more resilient, more capable, more spiritually healthy.”
“By taking that away from people, do you have the soldier’s best interests in mind? Do you have spiritual fitness in mind? Are you playing politics? That’s my question,” he said.
armed forces
Canada is not a sovereign nation
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Conspiracy Facts With Jeffrey Rath
There is no social service more important to the survival of a nation or a people than a robust national defence.
To quote the brilliant Lt. Col. (Ret.) David Redman, who has written extensively on the deplorable state of Canada’s ability to defend itself, quoting an anonymous Greek military philosopher,
“EVERY COUNTRY HAS AN ARMY, EITHER THEIR OWN OR SOME ONE ELSE’S”.
A more modern take on this thought was written by Niccolo Machiavelli in “THE PRINCE” when he observed that:
“THE FLORENTINES WERE EASILY CONQUERED BECAUSE THEY HAD BECOME WEAK AND EFFEMINATE FROM LONG PEACE.”
Machiavelli would be snickering if he knew that Canada has appointed a “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion General” to head the Canadian Armed Forces. Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff seems more concerned to ensure that tampons are available in the men’s infantry barracks than she was in insuring that Canada could defend itself or ever meet Canada’s NATO Article 5 obligations. Canada requires AT LEAST 3 divisions of air mobile combat soldiers, with suitable cyber security, surveillance and attack drones, armour, artillery, ground attack air cover, helicopter gunships, and air superiority interception capacity. A naval force capable of asserting arctic sovereignty while developing an amphibious assault capacity in support of our international obligations is also required. The 300-500 Billion Dollars that successive Canadian Governments have robbed from our NATO spending obligation would be a large down payment on rebuilding the Canadian Military while simultaneously wiping out the trade deficit with the US. An immediate 100 Billion Dollar military equipment order from US firms coupled with an elimination of all agricultural tariffs including the elimination of the Canadian Dairy Marketing Board would go a long way towards addressing President Trump’s justifiable derision of Canada’s status as a sovereign nation and good neighbour
Canadians need to internalize that they no longer live in a sovereign country. They live in a military protectorate of the United States Of America. Canadians currently underfund their NATO Treaty obligations by more than 23 Billion Dollars a year. This is a national disgrace.
Every so-called Canadian booing the American National Anthem, needs to be embarrassed, not outraged, over the fact that we have allowed successive Canadian Federal Governments to effectively embezzle hundreds of billions of dollars from the US through Canada’s despicable refusal to meet its national defence obligation to our largest and most economically important ally. In this sense Canada is much more like a vassal kingdom of Ancient Rome governed by a Governor appointed by Rome than a modern nation state. Despite Canada’s almost complete economic and military reliance on the United States, Canada is governed by minions of The World Economic Forum, The United Nations and the World Health Organization which are all China controlled or China adjacent entities that support Chinese global hegemony in the name of “globalism” or “post-nationalism”. Canada has even seen a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada taking a Communist Party of China job as adjudicator in Hong Kong. Canada currently has a disgraced Prime Minister so stupid as to not understand why our NATO allies would be upset at Canada training the People’s Liberation Army on how to kill NATO soldiers more effectively in winter conditions at Canada’s special forces winter warfare training facility at Petawawa, Ontario.
Canadians are shocked and appalled when Americans have the temerity to elect a leader who rejects the prevailing pro-China governance of Canada. Trudeau’s contribution to US-Canada relations was to attribute President Trump’ s crushing victory over globalism and world socialism to a claim that he/she was a “feminist” and to equate the common-sense of Americans to racism and misogyny. The world is meant to believe that Canadians are horrified by a US President who insists as the military protector of Canada that Canada address its protectionism of Canadian markets, ongoing trade deficit and embezzlement of defence dollars from the US by refusing to meet Canada’s international defence obligations.
Mark “Carnival Huckster” Carney the new Liberal, wanna-be, Canadian Governor, has announced as part of his “leadership campaign” that unlike the outgoing Dictator Trudeau, he will only continue to embezzle billions of dollars a year for five more years to reach the 2% GDP NATO defence spending requirement, as opposed to the outgoing Governor Trudeau who thought he could continue to steal from the US for another 7 years. It’s like Mark “The Carney” thinks that President Trump will be gratified with his announcement that Canada will only continue stealing and freeloading off of America for 5 more years. Maybe as compensation President Trump should consider renaming “Lake Ontario” to “Lake America” given that Canada’s continued refusal to meaningfully contribute to its mutual defence with America, has at the very least given Trump “naming rights” over shared geographical features. How about instead of the St. Lawrence Seaway we now have “The Melania Seaway”. Canada’s lack of the basic sovereign function of self-defence should have consequences.
It’s time for Canadians to wake the hell up and realize that the so-called Laurentian elite Canadian political class undermine Canadian Sovereignty every day. They do this by refusing to acknowledge that President Trump is right to make fun of Canada for the emasculation of the Canadian military. President Trump is right to call out Canada’s ridiculous insistence on wanting free access to American Markets while continuing to protect Canadian millionaires and billionaires from US competition to the detriment of Canadian voters who would all benefit from the lower prices that tariff free trade would bring. Every Canadian should be angry that they pay way more than they should for milk, cheese and other products because of Canadian protectionism.
Come on Canada! Canadians are known internationally for the Canadian propensity to say sorry too often.
It’s time for Canada’s political leaders to say:
“President Trump, you are right. We are sorry. We will immediately change our childish, and dishonest behaviour. We will become a much better neighbour.”
Jeffrey R.W. Rath, B.A. (Hons.), LL.B. (Hons.)
Foothills, Alberta
February 18, 2025
P.S.
Failing the above, its time for Alberta to say “President Trump, we don’t want to be part of Canada as a 51st State. Alberta will happily consider the benefits of full statehood within the American Union on the condition that you don’t let Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, or the Maritime province enjoy the same status given the extent to which they have enjoyed a parasitic relationship with Alberta for far too long.
Alberta will immediately commit to spending all dollars formerly sent to Quebec to the formation of an Alberta National Guard to be fully integrated with US Forces and chain of command, governed by the US Constitution. ”
This may be an idea whose time has come.
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armed forces
SecDef Hegseth picks investigators to examine botched Afghanistan withdrawal
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MxM News
Quick Hit:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has initiated an investigation into the Biden administration’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Hegseth confirmed that investigators have already been selected to examine the disastrous exit, which left 13 U.S. service members dead and stranded Americans behind. He emphasized that accountability is forthcoming and vowed a thorough review to uncover the decision-making failures behind the debacle.
Key Details:
- Hegseth told Breitbart News that he has already chosen investigators for a full Pentagon-led review of the withdrawal.
- The Biden administration’s 2021 exit resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members, abandoned American citizens, and a botched drone strike that killed an Afghan aid worker and his family.
- No officials were held accountable, while Marine Col. Stuart Scheller, who publicly called for accountability, was the only one punished—he now serves in the Trump administration.
Diving Deeper:
Hegseth, in an exclusive interview, stated that the investigation would be comprehensive, focusing on key decision-making failures that led to one of the most disastrous military withdrawals in U.S. history. While no specific timeline was provided, he stressed the importance of getting the facts right.
The 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, executed under then-President Joe Biden, resulted in a chaotic evacuation at Kabul International Airport. The suicide bombing at Abbey Gate claimed the lives of 13 American troops, while the administration abandoned hundreds of U.S. citizens despite claiming success. Additionally, the U.S. military, in a hasty attempt to prevent another attack, launched a drone strike that mistakenly killed an innocent Afghan aid worker and his family. At the time, then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley defended the strike as “righteous.”
Despite these failures, no senior officials were removed from their posts. The only individual who faced consequences was Marine Col. Stuart Scheller, who was discharged after demanding accountability in a viral video. Now, he serves as a senior adviser to the Defense Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness under the 47th President, Donald Trump.
Hegseth reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring accountability, emphasizing the need to establish a factual timeline of events, decisions, and their consequences. “I don’t think there’s anybody that feels like there’s been an honest accounting of what happened in Afghanistan. That’s our job,” he said.
The investigation, he added, will be critical to rebuilding trust within the Defense Department. “We’re going to drive that full investigation and get a sense of what happened. Accountability will be coming,” Hegseth concluded.
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