Photo by Whitehorse Star
Premier Sandy Silver
Northern premiers discuss security with Trudeau
Amidst fears that Russian international aggression could spill over into the Arctic, the three northern premiers conferred with federal government representatives during a virtual meeting on Monday evening.
Amidst fears that Russian international aggression could spill over into the Arctic, the three northern premiers conferred with federal government representatives during a virtual meeting on Monday evening.
In a subsequent news release, Premier Sandy Silver said, “Today, I spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and National Defence Minister Anita Anand alongside Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok and Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane.”
He said the premiers emphasized the need to shore up defence forces in the North.
“While we welcome Canada’s plans to modernize NORAD, I emphasized the need to bolster the Canadian Rangers – the first line of defence in the North,” Silver said.
“There is also consensus among northern premiers that Arctic sovereignty and security are enhanced by strengthening the resiliency of our people and our communities.
“The focus of our discussion was Arctic sovereignty and security in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine,” Silver said.
“The uncertainty created by Russia’s unprovoked attack on a sovereign, democratic nation have reinforced the need for a strong Canadian presence in the North.”
Silver said the perspective from the federal government is that danger of an attack from Russia on the Canadian North is negligible.
“Arctic nations have always maintained orderly and peaceful relations, but Russia’s unjustified attack of Ukraine has put the future of these relations at risk,” he said.
“Canada and its partners are monitoring the situation closely, and we were assured the current security threat to the North remains minimal.
“We support the Government of Canada’s efforts to advance Arctic co-operation while holding Russia to account for its aggression in Ukraine,” said Silver.
A readout from the prime minister’s office late Monday said Trudeau thanked the premiers for their governments’ “solidarity with, and support to Ukraine and its people in the face of Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion.’’
Silver said they agreed on the importance of making “significant investments’’ in areas such as energy and climate, housing, health care and infrastructure.”
– With a file from The Canadian Press
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Comments (42)
Up 0 Down 0
Mitch Holder on Apr 12, 2022 at 3:41 pm
@ VLADIMIR PUTIN - I am willing to bet that when the time has come, barrels will be loaded. I'll take a 50/50 chance on that over your 100% failure rate of defending me with a smartphone or a keyboard against .556 or .762 suppression fire. Snowshoes, proven better than your MEC boots over a century ago. 105 years average life experience is certainly more than you bring to the table. I would patrol drunk with these guys before seeking you out. Come on over and freeze in our beautiful mountains, city Russian.
Nuff said.
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Vladimir Putin on Apr 11, 2022 at 5:35 pm
Please do not freak. The rangers protect you. There are many of them. About five and a half. Average age 105. Armament 303 Lee Enfieds riffles were manufactured in 1899.
Ammo is not available anymore. Means of transportation, snowshoes.
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Chuck Farley on Apr 11, 2022 at 12:41 pm
DL; news flash sparky; the Russian invasion and subsequent slaughter started way back in 2017 and Ukraine Govt asked US government for military support to strengthen their country against Russia advancements (Crimea). However the wing nut in the Whitehouse at the time refused to offer aid unless Ukraine dug up dirt on Biden. Military aid was given in the first place we wouldn't be having this discussion; ohh and now Poland and Finland are in Putin's sights.
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It puts the lotion in the basket… on Apr 10, 2022 at 8:53 am
Agreed Josey Wales - “Any day... I choose dangerous freedom over alleged peaceful slavery!”
It is maddening to watch this Liberal descent into a tyranny of the Collective mind and body… And, it is absolutely dementing to watch as so many, seemingly intelligent people, willingly line-up with the many other sheeple to bleat out their passive acquiescence…
Signalling their tolerance for a fleecing as the Liberals skip to the banks singing… Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full…
The sheeple, the lambs, who do not fall in line go off to slaughter where their lives will be cancelled… A signal sacrifice to keep the other sheeple moving in line so they can give tribute to the authoritarian gods of Liberalism by committing to their own fleecing…
Over time their will be a great quiescence… The silence of the lambs through the persistent and aggressive silencing of the lambs…
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Liberalism is Hilarious! on Apr 8, 2022 at 8:29 pm
Canadian Rangers… LOL! I wonder how many of them have Court Ordered exceptions to their lifetime firearms ban?
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Clown Town! on Apr 8, 2022 at 3:19 pm
Jeff Donaldson on Apr 7, 2022 at 8:54 pm:
Spot on!
Our leadership kills anything meaningful in terms of education, experience, and practicality in favour of a farcical whimsy…
Unfortunately, this is all part of the assault on expertise and knowledge and structure… A Liberal assault with the end goal of creating a licentious, impulsive and chaotic social structure in which they control the narrative through the use of doublespeak.
FFS! We are, at a societal level, creating a system of entrenched emotionalism - The Canadian armed forces have been stripped of any seriousness and have intensively trained to whine and cry at the enemy until they give up!
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Josey Wales on Apr 8, 2022 at 2:32 pm
Hmmm...so the SS is chatting with his Führer over security with The Fourth Reich?
Last time the planet had an authoritarian that better resembled our PM Blackface, the Russians were helpful in killing the zealots seeking their final solution.
We have a far bigger threat with treasonous political blowholes that wish Canada gone.
If y’all have not quite figured this out yet, geez not certain what else to say? Hence the quiet as of late.
Guess the BF idiot only respects the CCP and its basic dictatorship and not the one Putin has.
Security they say, the threat just got in bed with the other flaming communists the National Destruction Party!
Any day... I choose dangerous freedom over alleged peaceful slavery!
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Jeff Donaldson on Apr 7, 2022 at 8:54 pm
Ahhh Sheepchaser….
That last post of yours deserves a Beer!
The final last patrol I did was with Wade and his Haines Junction Rangers!
I had a blast. Mostly because of the Rangers I was lucky enough to meet. Chris, Greg, Butch and Shane. Good group of dudes. They taught me a couple things I did not know about the skidoo and I taught lessons on Austere Airstrips and Night Operations to include DZ/LZ stuff. However, they are not soldiers.
Regardless of his Political job, Wade put on a professional show for the Reserve soldiers that were part of the exercise and I being the only Regular Force soldier there except the RIs, it was fun and my final good go after 25 years of REAL training, WAR FIGHTING, Over Seas deployments, Parachute Operations, Helicopter Operations, Real GSAR missions, Combat, Mine fields, IEDs death destruction and about 20 odd years of Advanced Training and courses.
Jumped with both the 82nd and 101st AATW! And the 509th.
Anyway, the Yukon is all about the CLICKs… Those old men you talk about are not all of them that old. However, whatever you call it they them those people in charge do not like qualified and experienced REAL leaders with REAL training and EXPERIENCE on a world stage, compete with their drivel.
It shows and if half the stuff you said is true it explains a lot.
SOMET is a joke! You don’t need to run down mountains to prove you can fly up in a Helicopter and provide first aid. Nor do you need to freeze in open ice water to prove you are tough. I sent almost 40 mins in freezing thru the ice, (I AM A TOUGH GUY) with a Latvian Recce Sergeant, in Latvia just because…
With all the training I have do you think it might benefit some people up here, like EMS, YSAR, SOMET, Wild land Fire… Ha. Not a chance. To many small fish in a small pond. They don’t like real competition or experience so it is pushed aside, not invited or ignored.
That is the Yukon.
Hey Sheepchaser, when that REAL Wild fire, Eathquake, or whatever happens here, look at the flood response… Those Old men will have nowhere to hide!
Airborne!
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White History Month? on Apr 7, 2022 at 7:07 pm
At Питер on Apr 7, 2022 at 10:43 am:
You’re attending to a selected history. Everyone knows that the First Peoples who came to what we now call North America had European ancestry. There are remains of bodies with European ancestry throughout NW Russia from the Lake Baikal Region to the land bridge.
Do your own research rather than fall for the self-serving narratives of the beneficiaries of that narrative - FFS!
Thanks for altering white history to serve your narrative though… Good job!
White Africans are routinely killed - In parts of Africa, people with albinism are hunted for their body parts. The latest victim: a 9-year-old boy.
https://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-malawi-albinos-hunted-2017-story.html
It sure seems like white people are a problem everywhere.
Don’t forget the enslavement of the white Irish - read White Cargo.
Up 19 Down 8
Mike on Apr 7, 2022 at 1:58 pm
@The Hammer
Spreading fake news like the vaccine works or the liberals know what they're doing or you know everything and everyone else doesn't matter if they disagree with you. The Russians are here hacking give me a break save that crap for the Trudeau campaign. You must be the biggest fake news talker on here starting drama the liberal way. I take you as seriously as I do the liberals. Wolves never concern themselves with the opinions of sheep. Have a great day sheep.
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Питер on Apr 7, 2022 at 10:43 am
I, for one, welcome our new Russian overlords. We're on Indigenous land, and the first Indigenous peoples to inhabit this this land migrated here from Russia over the Bering land bridge. That means the Yukon is rightful Russian clay, since they were the original inhabitants before the Anglos showed up and claimed it all for themselves. In the spirit of decolonization, I think the land ought to be returned to it's rightful owners without any violent resistance.
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Dave on Apr 7, 2022 at 5:58 am
I’m surprised sandy and Kate haven’t challenged vlad to a fist fight yet.
Maybe sandy can show him around Dawson, make a friend not foe
Kate white can bring him fat tire biking
And the lgbtqrstuv-++*# community can make him a bracelet.
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Sheepchaser on Apr 6, 2022 at 7:03 pm
@Pongo,
You are missing the difference between what the Rangers are supposed to be on paper versus what they are in reality. I’m all for funding an effective program. Just not paid long weekends of buddies and boozing in the backcountry.
The Rangers are just the tip of the iceberg.
This is not an isolated phenomenon. Take Yukon Search and Rescue for example. On paper they are a nationally accredited SAR team. In reality, they can’t seem to retain skilled recruits or respond in a timely manner. Run by a cabal of old men who spent more time planning Long Service Awards for themselves than developing the necessary capacity or training to be effective. One of the board members isn’t allowed to be alone in a position of responsibility around female team members due to over a decade of harassment complaints. Another texts team members late into the night and shows up stinking of booze at training. They still hold their positions. As a result of the lack of trust between YSAR and the emergency services they are meant to augment, the Yukon’s SOMET team had to be created under a ‘shadow budget’ snagged out of EMS funding. Finally, despite it being a clear violation of national standards, Yukon Societies Act and the federal tax benefit program for SAR volunteers, YSAR pays honorariums. And that’s where the corruption enters the picture. The only question ends up being whether it is intentional or incompetent.
It is not the programs that are the problem. It is the people in charge. About time we stopped sparing their blushes.
How there’s never been any corruption investigations or convictions despite enormous waste and fraud being an open secret in this jurisdiction suggests a willful ignorance of it among leadership. If the RCMP even gave a second glance, it would be obvious. Contractors and Wildfire employees who turn out to be the same person working simultaneous hours. Billing records that add extra days. Kickbacks to managers. Hotel rooms and transport for family members who are not on the project… it goes on and on.
The corruption in this jurisdiction is so pervasive that honest folks who find themselves entangled in it are forced to become complicit or walk away entirely. In turn, depriving citizens of functioning institutions.
You want balanced budgets, projects that finish on time and without egregious waste? Careful, cause old men get very upset when you hold them to the same standards they pretend to be the embodiment of.
Up 9 Down 6
bonanzajoe on Apr 6, 2022 at 5:54 pm
Pongo: "Which routes can be traveled from point A to B?
How do we not freeze to death on the land?
What can we eat on the land. Etc"
Just ask any Ranger these questions and see how many answers you get. I talked to a guy not so long ago who told me he was doing duty work with the Rangers over the weekend. I asked him what he did. He said he was going up and down the old Alaska Hwy. I was going to ask him how many Russians he encountered, but thought it best not to embarrass him.
Up 7 Down 14
bonanzajoe on Apr 6, 2022 at 5:45 pm
Max Mack on Apr 6, 2022 at 10:48 am
"Russia will not attack Canada." You're right. Russia already owns Canada. And Russia's, stooge is working in Ottawa. As a good comrade, he'll make sure Canada doesn't have the ability to stop their march over the pole. And it's coming!
Up 5 Down 6
TheHammer on Apr 6, 2022 at 5:44 pm
Mike@ make up your mind, are you a hard core right wing or a communist sympathizer? The Russians are already here, hacking and refugees-wake up, you've been spreading fake news ever since when?
Up 14 Down 7
bonanzajoe on Apr 6, 2022 at 5:39 pm
Sheepchaser on Apr 6, 2022 at 2:32 am. Very well said. I saw a picture of the Rangers on parade about 4 years ago. Governor General Julie Payette was so embarrassed, she put this pathetic forced smile on her face. I'm ex military and this embarrassed me as well. I just hope the Alaskans didn't see it. They'd still be laughing about it over their beers.
Up 11 Down 5
bonanzajoe on Apr 6, 2022 at 5:29 pm
Wow on Apr 5, 2022 at 6:44 pm
Sandy looks old and tired. Just like his government.
He just needs to smile once in a while. And his Liberal government needs to go back to freedom and democracy.
Up 23 Down 7
Pongo on Apr 6, 2022 at 4:26 pm
@Sheepchaser
Rangers are SMEs. Subject matter experts. I was in the military and trained with some of these folks.
An army can train for winter warfare but what you CAN'T train for is traditional knowledge.
The role of the Rangers if there was 'action' in their region would be for logistical support as in:
Which routes can be traveled from point A to B?
How do we not freeze to death on the land?
What can we eat on the land?
Etc.
If you don't know what you're taking about, you're better not talking at all. Sit back and learn.
Up 23 Down 9
Mike on Apr 6, 2022 at 3:51 pm
Another liberal fear mongering tactic now it's the Russians are coming. Get a friggen brain for anyone whose believing Canada is at any threat from Russia. Biden and his liberal government started funded and endorsed that war and Canada is just as guilty for not intervening two years ago. But now that there is a war Trudeau and Super Silver are suddenly defence specialist. What a joke, go open up another safe injection site and leave the business of national security to the professionals. Just the thought of Silver or any liberal offering their opinion on how to secure our country is a hypocrisy in itself.
Up 13 Down 17
woodcutter on Apr 6, 2022 at 2:37 pm
Lots of appeasers towards Russian aggression. How the world has changed, before these same people were fearful of the hordes from Asia spreading their special blend of oppression and socialistic control, now they are saying give them security guarantees, no need to fear the Reds, and cast doubts on our own strengths.
Is this cause Trump is Putins Boy and they are just following their leader, or do they really believe this?
Scary times from our own domestic fools, meanwhile the people of Ukraine are visiting absolute hell on the yoke of the Russian war machine. NATO should be asking Ukraine to join, not Ukraine asking to join as they are clearly demonstrating that it's not a big deal to beat an army of slaves.
Kinda like the the local right wing slaves we have here in the Yukon.
Up 16 Down 4
Mitch Holder on Apr 6, 2022 at 2:02 pm
@ Groucho d'North - well said, that Hercules crash back in the day is a perfect example of why we should have more than 1 personnel north of 60 for at least every 200,00 square kilometers. Military expansion in the north should serve a double purpose, with disaster mitigation on of the two duties next to defense.
Up 18 Down 9
Mitch Holder on Apr 6, 2022 at 1:45 pm
@Sheepchaser - wow, someone really doesn't like the Rangers. I have not served in the military, but from what many veterans and active personnel have told me many times, you work with what you have to make what you need. You assess what systems are available to you and engage as efficiently as one is limited to. Rather than trash the only personnel we have basically, why not just identify that improvements are needed sorely, as I am sure we can all agree. The Rangers are not "make work", they are merely not utilized or maintained by their funders and benefactors. Our military is a glorified general contractor and in this I see the potential for the Rangers to be a lot more in terms of EMO and community support.
How many are in the field with their own equipment where nobody else is. If the bombs came, they are likely some of the first people I would seek out. Bear is delicious when everything else is unavailable. Rather eat that than my dispatched hostile from 200 meters. I get the frustration, hell, they probably get the frustration. I will take them over a gaggle of progressive young people filming people be assaulted or violated while screaming where is the justice? Cut them some slack, I am sure they would be proud to serve a greater capacity and they just might.
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Mitch Holder on Apr 6, 2022 at 1:32 pm
Our opioid crisis would destroy the Russians anyway...
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comen sense on Apr 6, 2022 at 12:41 pm
I agree totally Bonanzajoe JT overspent before the pandemic is my point.
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Max Mack on Apr 6, 2022 at 10:48 am
Russia will not attack Canada. Full stop. This is needless fear-mongering intended to generate PR and extra money for the territories.
If Canada really wanted to make a difference, it would push its NATO/EU allies and Ukraine to give the security guarantees that Russia seeks. Peace will not come by arming neo-nazis in Ukraine.
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Mitch Holder on Apr 6, 2022 at 10:27 am
Isn't there a missing decaying nuclear bomb somewhere in western the Yukon? Yet these are the people we paid taxes to secure us...Like most things, you want our two cents? Leave us alone, that is the most security you could possibly provide and I mean that nationally and federally. Invest in the Rangers and EMO, that is the only viable preparations Canada can make as a non nuclear power. Canadians per capita are some skilled folks, Ft. Mac saved itself with its workforce of trained first responders, heavy equipment operators and people with basic safety training. To loosely quote Margaret Atwood, " The Canadian Mythos is one of survival as opposed to America's hero complex". We play the long game and we endure. Which is to say, security for Canadians is grass roots.
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Groucho d'North on Apr 6, 2022 at 9:50 am
The promise of a northern military presence has been dangled in front of the territories before, with strategic bases for search and rescue now that the northern ice is melting and cruise ships will soon ply the Northwest Passage.
Meanwhile, if a wide-body passenger jet is forced to make a landing on the tundra, there are zero resources in place to effect a rescue. Hundreds will be dead from either the crash or exposure while waiting perhaps days before help arrives. There are approximately 500 wide-body commercial overflights each day - so it's an odds game. If our national leadership wants to take a war stance to justify investing in the far north, do it for reasons that will be meaningful for when disaster strikes.
Up 16 Down 13
DL on Apr 6, 2022 at 2:51 am
Quote from above article: "The uncertainty created by Russia’s unprovoked attack on (Ukraine)... ". Oh please. That's completely ignoring the many agreements that were broken by NATO & Ukraine which is at the root of this conflict. Using such simplistic description will not lead to adequate solutions. Stop whitewashing NATO.
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Sheepchaser on Apr 6, 2022 at 2:32 am
The rangers… hahahaha!
First line of defence? Are you serious? They are NOT a combat unit. Officially classified as ‘non-kinetic’ in military jargon. The ranger program is a make-work type deal that spends an awful lot of time at seasonally closed Yukon campsites pretending to dress up as military.
They can’t even deploy as search and rescue resources when called upon. By the time command covers their butt by calling Ottawa, the subject of a SAR call is probably dead given the pervasive nature of hypothermia during 90% of the Yukon’s weather year.
Why is alcohol accepted in Yukon Ranger Patrol activities, but no where else in the country during similar activities? Why is the average ranger in the Yukon over the age of 50 years which is widely accepted as beyond the fighting age (and for good reason)? Why do they require an endorsement from a current Ranger to become a new Ranger in the Yukon despite that being a violation of national recruiting policy? Why did multiple ranger patrols in the Yukon require orders from national command to begin hiring women? Why is the Canadian Ranger flag flown over the Haines Junction pub? Maybe it’s because they spend more of their tax-payer funded time there than anywhere else?
Let’s be clear. Rangers are not military or even close to it. They do not learn discipline under fire. Their rifles are for shooting bears, not people. You don’t need a .308 bolt action under iron sights for a 180lbs target at 200 metres. But a 500lbs+ bear at 25 metres, sure. By the way, did you know that Rangers do not require firearm licences or the required safety training to carry and store their rifles? And their rifles are often not stored in compliance with the standards that apply to civilians because they are exempt? And they are exempt from the usual background investigation the Canadian Firearms Office would normally do?
Silver, who are you kidding with this bullhockey? The Rangers would run at the sight of the kind of things Ukrainians are charging towards. Amateurs and big talk through and through. In the exact same way all the old men up here pretend to be hard until the moment things get real. Over and over again, I’m sick of it in the workplace and the volunteer organizations. I would trust my untrained neighbours over those dudes. At least true volunteers know they fight for nothing but their own loved ones. Less corruption that way.
How long do we have to keep pretending so as not to hurt their feelings? Old men who were a big deal in the 70s and 80s are no longer getting it done, but are still in charge all over the place. It’s a disgrace.
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Guncache on Apr 5, 2022 at 9:40 pm
How can you discuss anything with someone in Ottawa running on a minus IQ
Up 33 Down 8
Roids51 on Apr 5, 2022 at 7:38 pm
No problem if there’s a threat, we’ll just run and hide like our glorious leader!
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A joke? on Apr 5, 2022 at 6:49 pm
"Silver said they agreed on the importance of making “significant investments’’ in areas such as energy and climate, housing, health care and infrastructure.”
Making investments in climate and housing and supporting the junior rangers will sure scare the Russians! Why didn't Ukraine think of that! Surely the Premier's statement is an April Fools joke.
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Wow on Apr 5, 2022 at 6:44 pm
Sandy looks old and tired. Just like his government.
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bonanzajoe on Apr 5, 2022 at 5:51 pm
comen sense. About time. Canada's been waiting for them now for at least 10 years. It'll be 15 before delivery takes place. Australia - two thirds the size of Canada has had them for at least 5 years. They got rid of their F18s by selling them to the Royal Canadian Second Hand Air Force. How about little Israel, 1/5 the size of Canada has already taken delivery of over 50. Yes, its about time JT gave the Force some Jet Fighters that work. He sent most of our equipment to Urkraine - for free of course. If Russia wins that war, they will get it - free of course.
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bonanzajoe on Apr 5, 2022 at 5:46 pm
How about getting the government to repair some of those 85 year old 303 Lee Enfields. And throw away those red gym sweaters and baseball hats and give them some modern camo uniforms. Maybe a Military vehicle or two might be nice too.
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Typical on Apr 5, 2022 at 5:21 pm
The Harper government had plans back in 2015 to build a military base outside of Whitehorse, liberals got power and scrapped the plan. Now look at them, running around like the chickens they are.
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Dallas on Apr 5, 2022 at 5:19 pm
Like we are gonna do something about it…..like we actually are capable of doing something about it….the liberals have cut the nutz outa the military ever since the liberals have been a political party, well I guess they could try, watch out for the next CAF bullet drive in your neighborhood they need your support .
Up 33 Down 8
Bear Whisperer on Apr 5, 2022 at 4:51 pm
Oh, spare us, Silver. You can’t even stand up for Yukoners who want to keep their jobs, but you’re all set to stand against Putin. You & whose army?
Up 49 Down 16
Juniper Jackson on Apr 5, 2022 at 4:20 pm
Amidst fears that Russian international aggression could spill over into the Arctic, Gosh, the 3 Northern Premiers better run to bed and pull the covers over your head...oh..and put on a mask. Putin does not want a war with the United States. Spill over into the Arctic.. You guys are so silly.
Up 27 Down 21
Matthew on Apr 5, 2022 at 1:51 pm
Yeah, yeah, we've heard it since the 1950s, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING... keep you in a state of fear so they can implement any new "laws" upon you cause you've already submitted... my question is, why didn't anyone care about US/UK/Israeli invasions...
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comen sense on Apr 5, 2022 at 1:40 pm
Don't worry JT just spent another trainload of money on F35s fighter jets.