We arrived at our watering hole just in time to snag two happy hour beers before the price doubled. It was hazy due to the fire in Squamish, a harbinger of the fire season yet to happen. According to forecasts it will be a bad one. Less rain, less snowpack, more drought and a long hot summer.

‘Have you noticed that every country is arming up; Europe, to reduce dependence on the US, and even Canada which just pledged to meet the NATO’s target of 2 percent of GDP, just before they suggest to up the ante to 5 percent. What gives Camp?’

‘We’re back into a global arms race, from Switzerland to Canada, Russia to China, Poland to Taiwan. And not just countries who are at war like Israel, Ukraine and Russia. Arms manufacturers are also supplying conflict zones that don’t have their own arms manufacturing but also no money but hey, credit for fighter jets or tanks is easily obtained. It keeps the arms industry humming along. India and Pakistan will spend billions more on arms and Israel just attacked Iran.’

‘Looks like Lockheed Martin, RTX Corp and Northtrop Grumman, all US-based companies, won’t go broke anytime soon. Lockheed alone had revenues over 60billion dollars. Back in 2022 the Trudeau government ordered 88 F35 fighter jets but the original price has since risen by 50 percent to a whopping $ 28 billion.’

‘As we’ve seen in the past couple of weeks, that order is now under review.’

‘We in Canada need to spend our military dollars on new technology like communication, satellites, encryption and drone technology and underwater surveillance. 

Canada is a leader in underwater technology, sonar systems, and computer-aided manufacturing. Just look at Ukraine who pulled off an audacious attack deep inside Russia in Operation Spiderweb and destroyed a billion dollars’ worth of bombers and fighter jets with drones that coast a few thousand dollars and were remote controlled from the Ukraine.’

‘Yes, that operation clearly shows how future wars will be fought and this makes every infantry piece, like armoured vehicles or tanks, an easy target. We should invest in that sort of capability rather than buy ever larger and more complicated hardware or used submarines or frigates and fighter jets that come with gazillion dollars maintenance contracts,’ Camp said, looking at the peaceful harbour and sailboats floating by. 

‘Tomorrow Trump will have his very own military parade in Washington. He always wanted one since he’s seen the one in Paris and Pyongyang,’ I said.

‘He wants to be celebrated like a Roman emperor except we all know it’s his 79^th birthday and he wants a parade.’

‘Just what the world needs right now, a military parade in the USA. Just after the Marines and National Guard were deployed in LA for no other reason than to show off who the real bully is and to piss off the Democrats who have no answer to this blatant display of power unhinged.’

When Vicky supplied us with refills, at full price, Camp quipped: ‘What we need is a Senior’s Day at the pub, just like the grocery stores.’

            ‘Look around, it’s mostly seniors here every day,’ Vicky said. ‘We’d go broke. Non-alcoholic drink sales are up by 20percent.’

            ‘We’ll stick to beer. I was just kidding.’