I hope most Canadians were as appalled as I was when I heard the Carney government was going to ground the Snowbirds, the fabulous Royal Canadian Air Force aerobatic team that has existed under the Snowbirds name since 1971. They were originally formed as an informal group by a base commander in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Colonel O.B. Philp. The roots of the Snowbirds go back to the 1950s, when flying demonstrations became popular among the public and a means of recruiting young people to the military.
The reason the Carney Liberals chose to ground the Snowbirds was that, like so much of the rest of the Canadian military, their equipment had become so old as to be dangerous. So, the Carney government has opted to keep the Snowbirds on ice until about the early- to mid-2030s until that equipment can be replaced. Costs to keep the squadron flying include about $4.3 million to $10 million annually in expenses – hardly a blip on the federal government’s balance sheet. The big expense, however, is that the fleet requires massive modernization.
Fully replacing the fleet of airplanes is estimated at between $1 billion and $1.5 billion. This is still just a drop in the bucket of the federal government budget. This Liberal government has no qualms in spending tens of billions of dollars on risky electric vehicle projects – many of which have been a disaster and complete waste of tax dollars – yet cannot find $1 billion or so to support this Canadian institution, the Snowbirds?
This is an absolute disgrace and failure of the Liberal government for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has been well known for some time that the Snowbirds were flying with outdated equipment. If anyone in the federal bureaucracy had been on the ball, plans could have been made years ago to order the necessary equipment ahead of time and keep the Snowbirds in the air. Apparently a 2003 Department of National Defence study had suggested that the replacement of existing equipment should be started then so that new aircraft could be operational by 2010.
Obviously that report went nowhere. Sadly, expecting anyone in the federal government to be on the ball about anything has been a losing proposition for many years. It is shameful how inept our governments continue to be while they suck up enormous amounts of our tax dollars and enjoy better salaries and benefits than their private sector counterparts. Yet we Canadians foolishly tolerate it, so nothing changes.
Another consideration involves the reality that the Canadian Armed Forces have had recruiting problems for some time. The Snowbirds have been a key recruitment tool as they are seen by so many Canadians and are often the closest any average Canadian comes to having an encounter with our military. The Liberal government recently attempted to boost military recruitment by making permanent residents eligible to enroll in the military. This ridiculous plan has been a disaster. Many of these recruits speak neither English nor French, causing major communications issues. The failure rate of basic training has also skyrocketed, as these recruits are ill-suited to the type of training valuable to the military.
Polls show that Canadians trust and respect the military more than any other institution in Canada. Canadians trust their military more than they trust police, the courts and the Canadian government. A 2025 Leger survey showed that 75 per cent of Canadians said that the Canadian Air Force made them proud. Taking the well-known and well-loved Snowbirds out of the equation for almost a decade can hardly be seen as a good plan for Canada.
It is also worrisome that this action may be another in removing the symbols Canadians are proud of. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau famously said that Canada would be the “first post-national state,” with no “core identity or mainstream.” Trudeau then proceeded to make Canadians ashamed of their country, including downplaying Canada Day as something not to be celebrated and treating Canadians wrongly as “colonialists” and genocidal. Trudeau went on to remove all of the lovely Canadiana that used to be in our passports – things like a picture of Terry Fox, the Vimy Memorial, the Fathers of Confederation and the Stanley Cup, among many others. What Trudeau did was disgraceful, unjustified and dishonest, and should not have been tolerated by Canadians.
Given the history of this Liberal party, it’s worth wondering whether Carney is continuing on this mission of destroying symbols Canadians are proud of. Any argument that there is not enough funding for the Snowbirds is ridiculous. The recent Spring Financial Update of the Liberal government just devoted another $6 billion to the mainstream media. Six billion dollars would buy a lot of Snowbird planes and other equipment. Shame on the Carney government for cancelling the Snowbirds for many years. As well, the Liberals have such a dismal record on living up to their promises means there is no guarantee we will ever see the Snowbirds in action again.
Canada Day is coming up in just over a month. All Canadians should pressure their MPs of all stripes to band together, provide the Snowbirds with the funds and equipment they need, and get them in the air again as soon as possible. Let’s not let “New World Order” Carney and his cabal away with cancelling a glorious Canadian tradition. It’s the Canadian thing to do.
She has published numerous articles in journals, magazines & other media on issues such as free trade, finance, entrepreneurship & women business owners. Ms. Swift is a past President of the Empire Club of Canada, a former Director of the CD Howe Institute, the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, SOS Children’s Villages, past President of the International Small Business Congress and current Director of the Fraser Institute. She was cited in 2003 & 2012 as one of the most powerful women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network & is a recipient of the Queen’s Silver & Gold Jubilee medals.
