Say it ain't so Prime Minister Carney. The iconic Snowbirds are about to be grounded? If you clip the Snowbirds' wings, what will be left of the Royal Canadian Air Force's air fleet that is fit to fly?
On the very same week Canada's federal government is sending an additional $270 million in aid to war-torn Ukraine comes word of a pending decision to no longer let the country's iconic Snowbirds take off again. There are few symbols that carry Canadian pride higher and further than the iconic Snowbirds. Could these legends of the sky soon be extinct?
“Now it's time to save our Snowbirds,” said Member of Parliament Fraser Tolmie, who represents the Snowbirds' home base in Saskatchewan. The Conservative MP for Moose Jaw, Lake Centre, Lanigan – home base for the world famous 431 Air Demonstration Squadron as part of the Canadian Armed Forces's Royal Canadian Air Force air acrobatics team – said he has information the Liberal government is getting ready to pull the plug.
“This is not the time to mothball the jets and leave them grounded forever. It's precisely the right time to let them tear across Canadian skies and inspire us,” said Tolmie, who has plenty to say about what he calls “the Liberal government's grounding of the Snowbirds.”
The Liberal government has made no such an announcement so far. But Tolmie claims they are about to. Conservative sources tell the Toronto Sun's Bryan Passifiume they are not prepared to reveal their sources on this. But in response to questions by Passifiume, the Canadian Armed Forces indicated the future of the Snowbirds will be shared later this month.
“On May 19, I will be in Moose Jaw to provide updates on the future of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds,” Canada's Minister of Defence David McGuinty said. “The Royal Canadian Air Force is incredibly proud of the women and men who, for decades, have represented the Canadian Armed Forces with pride at airshows across North America and around the world. Canadians can rest assured that they will be able to enjoy the Iconic Snowbird formation for generations to come.”
But what does that mean? Tolmie believes it's a ruse to shut the team down for now but, perhaps, never let them take off again. The “Liberals are signalling that this is merely a five-year pause,” he said. A five-year pause seems dubious. “If the squadron is disbanded, the culture of excellence and institutional knowledge of the pilots, ground crew and support staff will be lost, and that will be difficult, if not impossible, to recover,” Tolmie said.
The former mayor of Moose Jaw believes the Snowbirds are on life support. “Without offering a clear explanation, Prime Minister Carney is prepared to erase that proud legacy by cancelling the Snowbirds without providing a replacement, making it even harder to recruit the men and women our armed forces urgently need,” Tolmie said. “The Snowbirds have an unmatched 'wow' factor that inspires Canadians both to enlist and to respect those who already serve. Every year they take to the skies, they ignite a new spark of interest in serving in the armed forces. It would be short-sighted for the Liberals to snuff that out,” he added.
So what is going on here? “Several years ago, the government allocated $30 million of funding to keep the Snowbirds' fleet of Tutor jets airworthy through 2030. Despite countless opportunities to do so, the federal government has made no progress on replacing the aircraft,” Tolmie said. “There is no excuse for waiting this long to produce a plan to keep the Snowbirds flying; but it's not too late to save one of Canada's most iconic symbols.”
Canadians may not buy that there is not enough money to keep the Snowbirds going considering just this week Carney's government just pledged another $270 million for Ukraine to use in its ongoing war with Russia in which Canadians have so far committed as much as $25 billion. If there's money for another country's military, then there should be a little bit left over for our country's military. The Prime Minister needs to better explain what the plan is for the Snowbirds, who are booked all the way through until the summer season of air shows ends in October. It very well may be their last.
If it is true, the Snowbirds will not be easily forgotten. That would be impossible. They will leave behind an enormous impact on Canadians of all ages and from all parts of the country. A staple every summer at the Canadian National Exhibition, they have also performed for decades for millions of Canadians and people around the world who have marvelled at their showmanship and aeronautical talent. And they also help encourage young people to join the Royal Canadian Air Force to become a pilot or member of the ground's crew of this very prestigious travelling band of air stars.
“They inspire future generations to step forward, serve their country, and believe in what Canadians can accomplish together,” Tolmie said. “The Snowbirds stand as a symbol of Canadian identity and pride. They inspire future generations to step forward, serve their country, and believe in what Canadians can accomplish together.”
The Liberals have 11 days to change their minds. But if it's true that the Carney government is planning to ground the legendary Snowbirds, how much longer will it be before Canada doesn't have an air force at all? What will be left? A handful of old CF-18 fighter jets and some F-35 orders that are a giant question mark? If they don't let the Snowbirds take off each year, it will leave a big hole in the Canadian sky.
