A quick check of th World Fact Book shows that, of all the major industrial (G7 and OECD) countries, Canada has the lowest percent of military expenditure as % of GDP with one exception, Japan. (Canada, 1.6%: Japan 1.0 %). Perhaps this is not insignificant as I suggested in my post, but it is surely minimal and I would argue virtually a minimal level necessary for air-sea rescue, coastal and fishery servailance, and contribution to peace keeping. I gather from Bill's comments that he thinks that Canada's peace keeping efforts are "imperialistic". Well, perhaps he might make his point in one specific case or another, but I would like to see him defend this position in Cyprus, Bosnia and/ or Haiti. I am not a militarist (though I spent 5 years in the military), but I think a lot of the criticism of the military is a crock, based on misinformation on what they can, and do, do. Paul Phillips, Economics, University of Manitoba
