"Military should focus on coastline, not war: Layton"

Mr Layton now wants Canadian soldiers defending us against foreign fishers. He does not however make it clear how soldiers would do this on the high seas. Maybe he will soon suggest disbanding the Canadian Army in favour of creating a Canadian Marine Corps.

CBC News: Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton says Canada's military should be focusing on domestic sovereignty issues, including protecting Canada's coastline from illegal fishing boats, instead of fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan...

In an interview with CBC Radio in Fredericton on Wednesday, Layton also said those troops would be more effective at protecting Canada's fishing grounds from foreign trawlers.

"We feel a big part of our role should be our sovereignty issues, such as up North, and also in dealing with the fishing with fleets off our coastline who are coming in and destroying the ecosystems," he said...

Layton says illegal trawlers are hurting coastal communities all over eastern Canada, and the nation's armed forces has a duty to stop them.

"Dealing with the fishing fleets off our coastline who are coming in and destroying the ecosystems that in many ways provide the livelihood for our coastal communities. That has a place for both the Coast Guard and possibly the military and the navy," he said...

Update: Mr Layton also seem to be ignorant of the fact that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans already has uniformed, armed Fishery Officers:

THE CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
...
# Carry and use firearms and other restricted and prohibited weapons;
# Meet the DFO use of force proficiency standards;
# Wear a uniform and required protective clothing...

THE TRAINING PROGRAM
...
...The last 8 weeks component of the training is delivered at the R.C.M.P. Academy in Regina...

These officers are carried at sea on their enforcement duties by the Canadian Coast Guard (see Offshore and Mid-shore PatrolVessels).

Perhaps if Mr Layton ever finds out about this scandalous paramilitary reality he will disarm the Fishery Officers and transfer their duties to Canadian Army personnel, recently returned from Afstan.