CAD199.00

Nominated for 2 Gemini awards, this hard-hitting 5-part series chronicles the deterioration of the Canadian Forces through the eyes of the soldiers who served and explores the decline of Canada's influence on the world stage. It examines the external relations of Canada through its foreign and defence policies.

  • Episode 1: The Balkan Blues - The Myth of Peacekeeping - Canadian soldiers tell their stories of heroism in Balkan towns like Medak, Srebrenica, Visoko, and Sarajevo, where the myths of post Cold War "peacekeeping" were first exposed.
  • Episode 2: Lies and Dishonour - Homecoming and Somalia - No one counted the human costs when battles were hushed up and casualty lists altered. Did the Department of National Defence attempt to hide the truth and instead try to find scapegoats in the military after the "significant incident" in Somalia?
  • Episode 3: Disarmament by Neglect - The Roots of Decline and the Gulf War - The roots of the Somalia cover-up had their origins deep in the bureaucratic changes and severe manpower and equipment reductions in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. The Gulf War heralded a new world order and brought Canada's military shortcomings to the world's attention.
  • Episode 4: The Bungle in the Jungle - From Suez to Zaire: The bookends of Canadian military capability - Despite the fact that our forces are over-stretched and their equipment has rusted out, politicians continue to make commitments beyond our means on the world stage. The missions to Suez in 1956 and to Eastern Zaire in 1996 mark the bookends of a forty year decline of Canadian diplomatic and military capability.
  • Episode 5: An Empty House - Parliament and the Kosovo Air War - While Canada's international position has become marginalized, Parliament's irrelevance has diminished the ability of MP's to hold the government accountable. Canada joined the air war against Kosovo in 1999 without a Parliamentary vote, as it has in other overseas military missions in the past decade. Without a vigilant Parliament and citizen support, can the military function properly in Canada?