Military ‘will be there’ for Canadians in emergencies despite resource strain: defence minister

Defence Minister Bill Blair says the military’s greatest responsibility is protecting Canadians, and his government intends to keep calling on them for help in domestic emergencies.

Blair says he knows responding to natural disasters puts a lot of pressure on the Armed Forces, which is dealing with a personnel shortage of more than 16,000 troops.

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His comments highlight a tension between the government and military leaders over how to best deploy those limited resources at a time when there are multiple wars around the world.

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