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<\/p>\nSay it ain\u2019t so Prime Minister Carney.<\/p>\n
The iconic Snowbirds are about to grounded? If you clip the Snowbirds wings, what will be left of the Royal Canadian Air Forces\u2019 air fleet that is fit to fly?<\/p>\n
And who will be inspired to join the military if that recruitment and training tool is no longer inspiring people?<\/p>\n
On the very same week Canada\u2019s federal government is sending an additional $270 million in aid to war-torn Ukraine comes word of a pending decision to no longer let the country\u2019s iconic Snowbirds take off again.<\/p>\n
There are few symbols that carry Canadian pride higher and further than the iconic Snowbirds. Could these legends of the sky soon be extinct?<\/p>\n
\u201cNow it\u2019s time to save our Snowbirds,\u201d said Member of Parliament Fraser Tolmie, who represents the Snowbirds\u2019 home base in Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n
Mothball the Snowbirds?<\/p>\n
The Conservative MP for Moose Jaw, Lake Centre, Lanigan \u2013 home base for the world famous 431 Air Demonstration Squadron as part of the Canadian Armed Forces\u2019s Royal Canadian Air Force air acrobatics team \u2013 said he has information the Liberal government is getting ready to pull the plug.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not the time to mothball the jets and leave them grounded forever. It\u2019s precisely the right time to let them tear across Canadian skies and inspire us,\u201d said Tolmie, who has plenty to say about what he calls \u201cthe Liberal government\u2019s grounding of the Snowbirds.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Liberal government has made no such an announcement so far.<\/p>\n
But Tolmie claims they are about to.<\/p>\n
Conservative sources tell the Toronto Sun\u2019s Bryan Passifiume they are not prepared to reveal their sources on this. But in response to questions by Passifiume, the Canadian Armed Forces indicated the future of the Snowbirds will be shared later this month.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn May 19, I will be in Moose Jaw to provide updates on the future of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds,\u201d Canada\u2019s Minister of Defence David McGuinty said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Royal Canadian Air Force is incredibly proud of the women and men who, for decades, have represented the Canadian Armed Forces with pride at airshows across North America and around the world,\u201d he said. \u201cCanadians can rest assured that they will be able to enjoy the Iconic Snowbird formation for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Canadian Forces Snowbirds Team lead Maj. Brent Handy (right) and MCpl. Justin Shantidatt, Deputy Crew Chief, at the Canadian International Air Show media day at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. The Canadian International Air Show runs from Saturday, Aug. 30 to Monday, Sept. 1 at the CNE. Ernest Doroszuk\/Toronto Sun\/Postmedia<\/p>\n
But what does that mean?<\/p>\n
Tolmie believes it\u2019s a ruse to shut the team down for now but, perhaps, never let them take off again.<\/p>\n
The \u201cLiberals are signalling that this is merely a five-year pause,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A five-year pause seems dubious.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the squadron is disbanded, the culture of excellence and institutional knowledge of the pilots, ground crew and support staff will be lost, and that will be difficult, if not impossible, to recover,\u201d Tolmie\u00a0 said.<\/p>\n
Snowbirds on life support?<\/p>\n
The former mayor of Moose Jaw believes the Snowbirds are on life support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout offering a clear explanation, Prime Minister Carney is prepared to erase that proud legacy by cancelling the Snowbirds without providing a replacement, making it even harder to recruit the men and women our armed forces urgently need,\u201d Tolmie said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Snowbirds have an unmatched \u2018wow\u2019 factor that inspires Canadians both to enlist and to respect those who already serve. Every year they take to the skies, they ignite a new spark of interest in serving in the armed forces. It would be short-sighted for the Liberals to snuff that out,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
So what is going on here?<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral years ago, the government allocated $30 million of funding to keep the Snowbirds\u2019 fleet of Tutor jets airworthy through 2030. Despite countless opportunities to do so, the federal government has made no progress on replacing the aircraft,\u201d Tolmie said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no excuse for waiting this long to produce a plan to keep the Snowbirds flying; but it\u2019s not too late to save one of Canada\u2019s most iconic symbols.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plenty of money for Ukraine<\/p>\n
Canadians may not buy that there is not enough money to keep the Snowbirds going considering just this week Carney\u2019s government just pledged another $270 million for Ukraine to use in its ongoing war with Russia in which Canadians have so far committed as much as $25 billion.<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s money for another country\u2019s military, then there should be a little bit left over for our country\u2019s military. The Prime Minister needs to better explain what the plan is for the Snowbirds, who are booked all the way through until the summer season of air shows ends in October.<\/p>\n
It very well may be their last.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Snowbirds public affairs officer Capt. Philip Rochon (L) and Capt. Edward Soye, of Snowbird 10, speak on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in front of one of the planes that will fly over the CNE this weekend during the 75th Canadian International Air Show.<\/p>\n
No one will forget the Snowbirds<\/p>\n
If it is true, the Snowbirds will not be easily forgotten. That would be impossible.<\/p>\n
They will leave behind an enormous impact on Canadians of all ages and from all parts of the country.<\/p>\n
A staple every summer at the Canadian National Exhibition, they have also performed for decades for millions of Canadians and people around the world who have marvelled at their showmanship and aeronautical talent.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hold a press conference inHalifax, N.S. on Saturday, December 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Riley Smith<\/p>\n
And they also help encourage young people to join the Royal Canadian Air Force to become a pilot or member of the ground\u2019s crew of the this very prestigious travelling band of air stars.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey inspire future generations to step forward, serve their country, and believe in what Canadians can accomplish together,\u201d Tolmie said. \u201cThe Snowbirds stand as a symbol of Canadian identity and pride. They inspire future generations to step forward, serve their country, and believe in what Canadians can accomplish together.\u201d<\/p>\n
11 days to change their mind<\/p>\n
The Liberals have 11 days to change their minds. But if it\u2019s true that the Carney government is planning to ground the legendary Snowbirds, how much longer will it be before Canada doesn\u2019t have an air force at all?<\/p>\n
What will be left? A handful of old CF-18 fighter jets and some F-35 orders that are a giant question mark?<\/p>\n
If they don\u2019t let the Snowbirds take off each year, it will leave a big hole in the Canadian sky.<\/p>\n
\u2013 With files by Bryan Passifiume<\/p>\n