As you probably know, the Federation of Military and United Services Institutes of Canada and the Conference of Defence Associations have both lost their modest DND grants ($24, 054.54 and $75,000) that were authorized initially in 1938. The sine qua non was that we would keep members informed and current on military affairs and developments; support the Canadian Forces (regular and reserve); and, be a link between the CF and the general public. This we have done most assiduously and conscientiously.  Just perhaps, our advocacy for realistic defence budgets for the survival of our tattered Canadian Forces was too real and factual over the past decade, and thus embarrassing to the pacifist members of government who continue to see a dollar spent on defence as a dollar wasted - not withstanding the latest modest budget increase.

In his letter of Jan. 27 to the 28 Institutes in Canada, the national chairman of the Federation of Military and United Services Institutes, LGen (Ret) Lou Cuppens gave the bad news. A year ago, FMUSIC was invited to re-apply for a new grant. FMUSIC did so and made many inquiries to the VCDS on the status of the grant for FY2002. (Our grants were always made a year in arrears.) Finally, on Dec. 10, FMUSIC received the reply from the VCDS that the grant would not be renewed because of “a requirement within DND to eliminate none-core costs.” (We know now that other grants have been continued.)

The FMUSIC grant has always been passed fully to the FMUSIC Institutes, based on a basic grant and a per member allocation. Especially for the many smaller institutes across the country, the grant enabled important activities and events that supported the CF, especially at the community level. It also enabled institutes to attend biennial FMUSIC meetings that provide a national network to complements the work done by institutes at the community level. 

A saving grace is that the VCDS, in his letter, has promised that DND will continue to offer non-grant support to FMUSIC as has been done in the past (such as use of messes, lecture halls, office space and DND/CF speakers).

LGen Cuppens has promised to pursue this grant application (that must pass Treasury Board, MND, CDS and probably the PMO, now). In the meantime, planning is underway for the 16^th Biennial Meeting to be hosted by the Edmonton USI on Base (Garrison) Edmonton Oct. 17 to 19.

As in the past after all grants were passed through to Institutes, the individual institutes were assessed dues of two dollar per member. This supports the FMUSIC National Office and the Biennial meetings. (RUSI of VI last grant was $702.80 and our dues were $324.00.)

FMUSIC believes that this small grant makes a difference, and that our national network provides a worthwhile service to the CF, especially within communities without a CF presence.

With respect to the loss of the grants, perhaps the definitive word must go to LCdr George Schober, a member of RUSI of VI. George offers an apposite quotation from Edmund Burke's Thoughts and Details on Scarcity, which probably reflects the feeling of the MND for CDA and FMUSIC. “And having looked to government for bread, on the first scarcity they will turn and bite the hand that fed them.” In the case of FMUSIC and CDA, the order of events was reversed: they bit the hand first, in continually criticizing the government’s policy for, and under funding of the CF. The fact that in both the foregoing the government was/is wrong - and CDA and FMUSIC are right, and fulfilling their mandate - is clearly of no consequence to the incumbent Chretien government and merely serves to further irritate it.”

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