Accessibility Links
The rugged army life
Its goals were lofty and practical: to protect the free world and each other. Attacking one member of NATO meant you had attacked them all. At first, Canada played an important role as a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization during the Cold War. But when the Communist threat died, some Canadians wondered why we were still part of the alliance. As NATO continues to redefine its mandate, Canada struggles to determine its own role.
. During the 1950s, Canada's Royal Canadian Air Force hosted and trained pilots from other NATO countries. As of 2004, Canada continued to provide training centers in Suffield, Alta, Goose Bay, Nfld., and Wainwright, Alta. Canada also continues to stage the annual "Maple Flag" exercise in which NATO members rehearse coalition air drills.
. As of 2004, Canada is the sixth largest contributor to NATO's military and civil budgets. Canada's financial commitment in 2003 was $140 million. In 2004, Canada pledged 2500 troops for service in the alliance. The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy are the top five NATO contributors.
. NATO maintains one civil and two military budgets. Each NATO member contributes to the budgets according to a cost-sharing formula.
Program: Assignment
Broadcast Date: Nov. 20, 1959
Duration: 1:09
Last updated: March 16, 2012
Page consulted on August 22, 2012
All Clips from this Topic
-
The North Atlantic countries struggle with this crucial question at th...
-
External Affairs Minister Lester B. Pearson presents a new security co...
-
The coalition of nations is born.
-
Up at 6:30 a.m., to bed at 10 p.m. sharp with training, maintenance an...
-
Earn the admiration and respect of the free world by joining the NATO ...
-
Why is NATO maintaining a conventional army when nuclear weapons are c...
-
Prime Minister Trudeau slashes Canada's contribution to the NATO force...
-
An evaluation of the Warsaw Pact countries' military might.
-
Armed with obsolete weapons and lacking financial resources, Canadian ...
-
Canadian soldiers tackle the Norwegian Arctic to test their defence sk...
-
Canada's NATO continget is dramatically reduced as Canada trims its mi...
-
Fifty years later, was NATO worth the effort?
-
The alliance assumes a controversial mission in the Balkans.
-
The alliance reaffirms that an attack on one is an attack on all.
-
A total of 20,000 troops from the NATO countries will respond to the t...
-
The face of NATO changes as former communist countries are invited int...
-
For the first time ever, the NATO forces embark on a mission outside o...
-
Its goals were lofty and practical: to protect the free world and each...