Top soldier's farewell cost taxpayers $270,000

[GGboy]

If you read the story carefully there are some clues as to its origin. There are none of the usual "according to documents obtained by The Globe and Mail through the Access to Information Act" or "according to documents left in a plain brown envelope on the doorstep of The Globe and Mail" phrases that indicate the newspaper dug this up on its own. Add to that the fact that Dawn Black was the only defence critic quoted (even usual suspects like David Staples were conspicuously absent) and I conclude that this was spoon-fed to the Globe by the NDP. Which would also explain why they ran it on page A7 instead of on the front...
So Dawn Black gets to wail about the horror of it all without taking the heat for initiating the story. While I take heart from many of the comments in the on-line edition of the story that support Hillier, maybe we should adjust fire slightly and aim some of the criticism of this cheap shot at the NDP ...

 

[conet]

please, this is just a journalist digging for 'news' and trying to cause controversy where there isn't any...  If we wanted to play with cost numbers, what about the 'free' advertising afforded to the CF by all the news networks as a result of this event?  Maybe we can factor in the money saved in recruiting dollars if people are more encouraged to join? etc. etc.

Absolutely agreed.  Money well spent.

Absolutely. One of the main explanations for such a 'high' cost was that it was primarily intended as a recruiting drive in addition to a farewell ceremony. I'm certain the CF benefitted from a good number of people signing contracts afterwards.

 

[HollywoodHitman]

Money well spent to honour the man who brough relevance to our military again. In terms of Dawn Black looking in the mirror, she probably avoids it at all costs...

Rifleman62, not ALL realtors are scumbags ya know.....

 

[Rifleman62]

HollywoodHitman

Neither I nor Overwatch Downunder used the word "scumbags", which on careful reflection is possibly relevant.

"All". Of course not.

WRT Dawn Black, I posted the following here http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/28783.990.html :

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED

I have 4 extra tickets for the Robbie Knievel (son of Evil Knievel) event at the Encana Center (in Dawson Creek) this weekend.

He's going to try to jump over 1,000 Jack Layton supporters with a bulldozer.

Special guests to include Jack and Olivia Layton, plus Dawn Black who will be intimately co-located with their supporters.

Should be a pretty good time.

Let me know

 

[HollywoodHitman]

HollywoodHitman

Neither I nor Overwatch Downunder used the word "scumbags", which on careful reflection is possibly relevant.

"All". Of course not.

LOL. No worries, I am a realtor part time - I thought it was funny. I had the honour of snubbing Dawn Black shortly after I returned from the sandbox and didn't fall into her petty attempt to bait me into saying something negative about the mission.

WRT Dawn Black, I posted the following here http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/28783.990.html :

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED

I have 4 extra tickets for the Robbie Knievel (son of Evil Knievel) event at the Encana Center (in Dawson Creek) this weekend.

He's going to try to jump over 1,000 Jack Layton supporters with a bulldozer.

Special guests to include Jack and Olivia Layton, plus Dawn Black who will be intimately co-located with their supporters.

Should be a pretty good time.

Let me know

For some reason it didn't post my comments....I laughed when I saw it, so I didn't take it personally! Anyway, too true. Just after I got back from the sandbox, I got to snub Dawn Black at a community event when I didnt bite, as she tried to get me to say something bad about the mission. I still smile in reflection on that moment.

 

[wildman0101]

general rick hillier
excuse me......
the man walked the walk....
he can talk the talk....
he earned every dime he was paid..
i served 8-ch (PL ) with him 1975-1982
and lahr germany  1984-1986
this man was a soldiers soldier
he took care of his troops
in every way shape and form...
ive personally seen him dig into his own pockets
and help a brother in arms...
as far as the parade (retirement) (change of command ect)
that was canada's way of saying thank-you
priceless ................................................
                          scoty b

ps any fallout regards this post will be directed at me
and me  only... copy

 

[leroi]

general rick hillier
excuse me......
the man walked the walk....
he can talk the talk....
he earned every dime he was paid..
i served 8-ch (PL ) with him 1975-1982
and lahr germany  1984-1986
this man was a soldiers soldier
he took care of his troops
in every way shape and form...
ive personally seen him dig into his own pockets
and help a brother in arms...
as far as the parade (retirement) (change of command ect)
that was canada's way of saying thank-you
priceless ................................................
                          scoty b

ps any fallout regards this post will be directed at me
and me  only... copy

Awesome post, wildman0101! :nod:

The good General was a breath of fresh air to Canadian civilians, too.

I loved him because he had the balls courage to stand up to ordinary Canadians and tell them what you guys and gals do.

He was, as you say, a "soldier's soldier" and resisted becoming a "politician's soldier."

Money well spent!!

 

[xo31@711ret]

$270,000

...and a year or so ago, wasn't there a piece on how much our tax-payer,s $$$ were spent for our illustrious MOP's 'working lunches', airfare and 'publicity' jaunts around the globe. I remember reading a piece a little while ago how a click of MOP's or senators lounging around some first class hotel pool on the red sea

 

[PMedMoe]

I wonder what the cost of redecorating an office comes to?  Seems every time a new minister moves into an office, they have to "renovate" it.

 

[smitty66]

$270,000 to say farewell to the finest CDS I've had to pleasure of serving under...not a problem in my opinion. The value of sending off Gen Hillier in style is well worth it!

Cheers

 

[George Wallace]

With inflation and all, I would say that $270,000 was a pittance compared to the farewells given some of his predecessors.

 

[TrexLink]

New Democratic Party defence critic Dawn Black called the spending extravagant. “The word excessive doesn't seem to cover it, especially when we learn this during a time of restraint, when more and more Canadians are out of work,” she said.

Of course. And the ceremony was last summer, before the recession really hit.  Is she griping because she wasn't sent a personal list of expenses at the time or because the CDS (like politicians and bankers around the world) failed to foresee the economic problems?

Almost as funny as one of her never-served buddies having the cheek to wear a Legion blazer in public.

 

[neilinkorea]

This issue, IMHO, is not whether Hillier deserved a "big party" or not.  The same would have been done for a less respected CDS.  This is a government unit, the military, that is greater than the sum of its parts.  Part of what makes the military what it is is the ceremony surrounding it.  We give soldiers medals and ribbons, have promotion and change of command ceremonies, and have military parades.  This is all part of what defines the military and builds esprit de corps.  I am totally against wasteful spending on the part of government.  However events like a sendoff for an outgoing CDS are necessary and do cost money.  Military accountants should be defending expenditures like that and calling them training and recruiting/promotional expenses as much as they can.

 

[geo]

Consider the cost of a PM or President doing his final overseas tour of his G8 buddies....
You want a waste of money..... there's one

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

I wonder how far the GG gets on $270,000?

The Byward market,......maybe.

 

[PMedMoe]

At least the cost covered the departure of the CDS, a change of command and an event for the families of fallen soldiers.  I wonder what the City of Ottawa is getting for its $30,000 cocktail party?

 

[GregC]

If only the public knew what The Rock (our knewly consecrated memorial to our fallen) outside 3VP lines cost in money, material, and men... that would be an uproar!