Western Standard - November 30, 2023


Canada will purchase up to sixteen P-8A Poseidon planes from Boeing


Episode Stats


Length

3 minutes

Words per minute

159.5154

Word count

632

Sentence count

41


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Learn English with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces Canada will be acquiring up to 16 Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft from the U.S. government for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
00:00:00.160 Upon my appointment, the Prime Minister made it very clear that we have an obligation to provide the Canadian Armed Forces with the tools that they need to do their jobs and to keep us all safe.
00:00:10.180 And that's why we're here this afternoon.
00:00:12.440 Today, as Mr. Duclos has indicated, I'm very proud to announce that Canada is acquiring up to 16 Boeing P-8 Alpha Poseidon aircraft from the U.S. government for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
00:00:23.300 As I'm sure General Kenney and our aviators can attest, today is truly a very good day for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
00:00:33.040 The P-8 Alpha will replace Canada's current maritime patrol aircraft, the CP-140, which has been in service for more than 40 years.
00:00:42.220 And here at home, the Aurora has done extraordinary service.
00:00:45.820 It's helped us to detect illegal fishing, drug trafficking, and polluters along our coastlines, which happens to be the longest coastline in the world.
00:00:52.760 It has hunted submarines, it's protected our Arctic sovereignty, it's conducted counter-narcotics operations, it's helped monitor the implementation of United Nations sanctions against North Korea.
00:01:03.020 It has done its job well, and we're going to rely on it to continue to serve our country.
00:01:08.760 But the Aurora is becoming increasingly difficult to support, expensive to sustain, and less suited to operating in today's threat environment.
00:01:17.140 Originally procured in the early 1980s, the Aurora will have been in service for almost half a century when it reaches its scheduled retirement in 2030.
00:01:27.520 And meanwhile, our adversaries have been deploying increasingly sophisticated, stealthy, and lethal capabilities.
00:01:34.780 And therefore, the Aurora must be replaced.
00:01:38.040 And that is why we are acquiring the Poseidon.
00:01:40.440 The P-8 Alpha Poseidon is the only currently available proven aircraft that meets all of the operational requirements as defined by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
00:01:50.220 And we believe that it is very much in the public and national interest to acquire the only capability currently available to us.
00:01:58.640 The Poseidon specializes in anti-submarine and anti-service warfare.
00:02:02.460 It can identify, detect, and track, and engage threats using sophisticated sensors and weapons, while defending itself from potential threats.
00:02:12.120 These aircrafts are not just planes.
00:02:14.520 They are complex weapon systems.
00:02:16.940 And the Poseidon is a proven capability with a track record of success.
00:02:21.380 This platform is operated by all of our Five Eyes allies, and in addition, in use by several other security partners.
00:02:29.100 This interoperability is key in today's global security environment.
00:02:34.140 Crucially, this platform is the only currently available platform that meets our requirements.
00:02:39.680 And since it is available, we anticipate that deliveries will begin in 2026, and we expect the final aircraft to arrive as soon as 2027.
00:02:49.000 The new fleet of aircraft will be based at 14-wing Greenwood in Nova Scotia and 19-wing Comox in British Columbia.
00:02:55.660 We will be making significant investments in new infrastructure right across Canada, including at these bases.
00:03:02.320 And this project as a whole will support thousands of good jobs across Canada.
00:03:07.680 As our world continues to evolve, this new fleet will be there to protect Canadians.
00:03:13.260 It will help us enhance Arctic security and maintain national sovereignty over the Arctic.
00:03:19.060 It will enable Canada to meet its NATO, NORAD, and other obligations.
00:03:25.480 In 2024, the Royal Canadian Air Force is going to celebrate its 100th anniversary of extraordinary service to this nation and to the world.
00:03:34.920 Our Air Force has an incredibly proud history.
00:03:37.660 We have an obligation to ensure that it has a proud future.
00:03:42.100 Our Air Force must have the tools that they need to do this essential job and the ability to attract the very best and the brightest to serve in its ranks.
00:03:52.100 I believe today we have made a significant step forward in ensuring that future.
00:03:56.960 Thank you very much.
00:03:57.660 Thank you.