HALIFAX - Defence Minister Peter MacKay acknowledges the cost of the Afghan war has been eating into the budgets of the navy and air force, but he blames years of neglect by the former Liberal government.
He says the "high-activity operations'' in Kandahar require the government to put the "resources where they are needed the most,'' but added that priorities are constantly re-evaluated.
Federal budget documents say the war is "affecting current defence planning'' and that in some cases the department "will direct funding away from routine equipment and infrastructure maintenance.''
The air force recently asked for an additional $110 million for the current budget year, warning last November that it would have to ground aircraft if it didn't receive a budget bump.
In Halifax today, MacKay said the Tories have been trying to make up for years of the former Liberal government starving the military.
Gen. Rick Hillier, the outgoing chief of defence staff, denies the military has had rob Peter to pay Paul in order to fund the war, noting the Defence Department has received special appropriations to cover cost overruns.
