| As part of a major defence review meant to streamline and re-prioritize the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), in 1969, the Trudeau government decommissioned Canada's last aircraft carrier, HMCS Bonaventure. The carrier represented a major part of Maritime Command's NATO oriented anti-submarine warfare (ASW) effort.; There were three main reasons for the government's decision. First, the carrier's yearly cost of {dollar}20 million was too much for the government to afford. Second, several defence experts challenged the ability of the Bonaventure to fulfill its ASW role. Third, members of the government and sections of the public believed that an aircraft carrier was a luxury that Canada did not require for its defence. There was a perception that the carrier was the wrong ship used for the wrong role. In sum, the decision to decommission the Bonaventure was politically attractive because of economic reasons, but was made based on strategic rationale. |
