Jason Kenney and the Reform-a-Cons at odds with the truth

Details, details: Defence minister Jason Kenney's blunt style betrays him

Defence Minister Jason Kenney’s credibility has come under fire after some recent public miscues, just as the Conservative government is proposing to expand Canada’s war against the Islamic State.

Kenney has been a visible presence on television and radio news shows, on Twitter and in Parliament since taking over the all-important defence file six weeks ago. He has been forceful on the threat posed by ISIL, proclaiming the government’s support for the military and hammering the opposition for its views on the conflict.

Yet Kenney, one of the few ministers in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s cabinet allowed to speak freely, has also found himself clarifying or backtracking on some of his blunt assertions.

For example, earlier this week Kenney spoke to Canadian reporters by phone during a visit to Colorado Springs, Colo., home to North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). During the call, Kenney was asked about NDP leader Tom Mulcair’s concerns over expanding the war against ISIL into Syria.

“I don’t take very seriously Mr. Mulcair’s views on these matters,” Kenney said. “As you know, the NDP has opposed every single overseas military deployment in Canadian history, and so I think the position he’s taking is just remarkably predictable.”

Not quite true: The NDP initially supported Canada’s war in Libya four years ago. They voted with the Conservatives and Liberals in favour of sending fighter jets, aircraft and a naval ship to participate in the NATO mission in March 2011, and they agreed to an extension that June. They voted against a second extension in September 2011. The war ended in October.

Another example: Kenney recently defended billions of dollars in cuts to military spending by saying, for the second time in a week, that Canadian defence spending fell to an all-time low of 0.7 per cent of GDP under previous Liberal governments. Kenney first made the claim during a committee appearance on March 11.

But NATO, the World Bank and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a respected think-tank on global defence expenditures, say Canadian defence spending never fell below 1.1 per cent of GDP between 1990 and 2012. However, last year – under the Conservatives – it slipped to one per cent.

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