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Time to reshape priorities |
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| Calgary, Alberta - Monday, March 3, 2003 - by: Greg Butler | |||||||
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The latest incident involving the Sea King 'copters causes me to feel this is a very key moment in history. | ||||||
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Buying the EH-101 helicopters back in '93 would have saved money for the military and the taxpayers. Chretien cancellation cost us $500 million in penalties to break that contract. The cost of maintaining the Sea Kings has to have overtaken the price of the EH-101 fleet and it's not over. What is the cost to repair the Iroquois? And we're being told it may be sailing without a helicopter to be the flagship of an allied fleet? | ||||||
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These financial and loss of face facts pale compared with the human cost. Only by happenstance were there just two minor injuries on the Iroquois catastrophe rather than more lives lost through Liberal politics taking priority and Chretien being unwilling to admit the Conservative purchase ought not to have been cancelled. | ||||||
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| References: | |||||||
| Cox, Kevin and Leblanc Daniel, Forces search for substitute Sea King, (PDF) March 3, 2003, Toronto Globe and Mail | |||||||
| Lucas, Chad, 'My stomach dropped out from under me' Crew recount chopper cras as Iroquois limps home, (PDF) March 2, 2003, Halifax Herald. | |||||||
| News Release, Iroquois Sea King Crew Safe After Crash On-Deck, February 27, 2003, Department of National Defence | |||||||
| HMCS Iroquois returns to Halifax with Sea King, March 2, 2003, CTV News | |||||||
| Costen, Scott, Rescue puts cormorant and crew to the test March 3, 2003, Department of National Defence | |||||||
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