Stocks on new Canadian Ranger rifles are cracking and need to be replaced
Stocks on the new rifles issued to Canadian Rangers for use in the far north are cracking and have to be replaced because they can't withstand excessive moisture.
Article content
Article content
In addition, the lamination on the C-19 rifle wood stocks is peeling off, the Department of National Defence acknowledged.
Article content
Soldiers tipped off the Ottawa Citizen about the problems with the relatively new rifles and raised concerns about the effectiveness of the weapons.
Article content
Article content
One hundred and fifty-six of the rifles were initially deemed as unusable but the majority of the guns are still being used despite the problems, according to the DND.
Article content
The Canadian Forces ordered more than 6,800 of the rifles from Colt Canada in Kitchener, Ont., with deliveries beginning in March 2018. The contract was for $32.8 million.
Article content
The .308 C-19 replaced the Lee Enfield .303 rifle that had been used by Canadian Rangers since 1947. The Lee Enfield had a wooden stock. The C19 is lighter, shorter and more precise, according to the Canadian Forces.
Article content
Canadian Rangers noticed the problems with the rifles shortly after the first ones were delivered. Additional concerns were raised in 2019 about 'premature C-19 Ranger Rifle stock cracking,' DND spokesperson Kened Sadiku said in an email.
Article content
'Testing concluded that the wood used for these C-19 stock lacked sufficient protective finish to properly seal and protect the wood from extreme environmental exposure, resulting in the wood being susceptible to moisture absorption and shrinkage,' said Sadiku. 'The test also indicated that the glue used in some of the C-19 stock exhibited early and unexpected laminate separation.'
Article content
Under the contract, the rifles were required to withstand extremely cold temperatures in the Arctic as well as moderate-to-high humidity in the coastal and forested regions of the country.
Article content
Article content
'Based on the initial C19 Ranger Rifle procurement, the performance requirements were met,' Sadiku stated. 'The current issue with the C19 Ranger Rifle stock became apparent after and therefore, DND intends to cover the cost for the replacement.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Myanmar military courts sentence 12 to life for human trafficking, including Chinese nationals
BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar military courts have sentenced a dozen individuals — including five Chinese nationals — to life imprisonment for their involvement in multiple human trafficking cases, state-run media reported Saturday. According to the Myanma Alinn newspaper, the convictions stem from a range of offenses including the online distribution of sex videos and the trafficking of Myanmar women into forced marriages in China. In one case, five people — including two Chinese nationals identified as Lin Te and Wang Xiaofeng — were sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court in Yangon, the country's largest city, on July 29. They were found guilty under Myanmar's Anti-Trafficking in Persons law for producing sex videos involving three Myanmar couples and distributing the footage online for profit. In a separate case, the same court sentenced a woman and three Chinese nationals — Yibo, Cao Qiu Quan and Chen Huan. The group was convicted of planning to transport two Myanmar women, recently married to two of the convicted Chinese men, into China, the report said. Additionally, three other people received life sentences from a separate military court for selling a woman as a bride to China, and for attempting to do the same with another woman. In another case, a woman from Myanmar's central Magway region was given a 10-year sentence on July 30 for planning to transport two Myanmar women to be sold as brides to Chinese men, the report said. Human trafficking, particularly of women and girls lured or forced into marriages in China, remains a widespread problem in Myanmar, a country still reeling from civil war after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The persisting conflict in most areas of Myanmar has left millions of women and children vulnerable to exploitation. A 2018 report by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT) — which works to prevent and respond to trafficking in northern Kachin and Shan states bordering China — estimated that about 21,000 women and girls from northern Myanmar were forced into marriage in China between 2013 and 2017. In its latest report published in December, KWAT noted a sharp decline in the number of trafficking survivors accessing its services from 2020 to 2023. It attributed the decline to the COVID-19 pandemic and border closures caused by ongoing conflict following the army takeover. However, it reported a resurgence in 2024 as people from across Myanmar began migrating to China in search of work. Maj-Gen Aung Kyaw Kyaw, a deputy minister for Home Affairs, said during a June meeting that the authorities had handled 53 cases of human trafficking, forced marriage and prostitution in 2024, 34 of which involved China, according to a report published by Myanmar's Information Ministry. The report also said that a total of 80 human trafficking cases, including 14 involving marriage deception by foreign nationals, were recorded between January and June this year.
Canada News.Net
a day ago
- Canada News.Net
Trump fires head of statistics bureau after poor jobs report
In an extraordinary outburst, U.S. President Donald Trump, aside from lambasting Federal Reserve Cahir Jay Powell, has now taken aim at the head of the bureau overseeing the tabulation of employment statistics, following Friday's disappointing jobs report. On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the U.S. economy added just 73,000 jobs in July, far less than expected, and revised down the May and June figures, by a combined 258,000 jobs. A furious Donald Trump took to Truth Social, his own social media platform, to blast the bureau chief, and fire her, claiming she was 'faking' the stistics, and noting she was appointed by long time rival, former President Joe Biden. She was nominated by Biden on July 12, 2023, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 11, 2024. "I was just informed that our Country's "Jobs Numbers" are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala's chances of Victory," President Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday. Trump alleged that the BLS, under McEntarfer's leadership, had significantly overstated job growth figures in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 jobs, followed by additional overstatements of 112,000 jobs in August and September—just before the election. He called the discrepancies "records" and questioned their validity, stating,"No one can be that wrong?" "We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY," Trump said. "She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes." "McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 258,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months. Similar things happened in the first part of the year, always to the negative." "The Economy is BOOMING under "TRUMP" despite a Fed that also plays games, this time with Interest Rates, where they lowered them twice, and substantially, just before the Presidential Election, I assume in the hopes of getting "Kamala" elected – How did that work out? Jerome "Too Late" Powell should also be put "out to pasture." Thank you for your attention to this matter!" the president posted. Background on Dr. Erika McEntarfer Dr. McEntarfer, a labor economist with over two decades of federal government experience, was nominated by President Joe Biden on July 12, 2023, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 11, 2024. Her career includes key roles at the U.S. Census Bureau, where she led research for the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics program, and at the White House Council of Economic Advisers, where she advised on labor market recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her research, published in leading economic journals, has focused on job loss impacts, wage rigidity, and labor market dynamics. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from Virginia Tech and a bachelor's degree from Bard College. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not yet publicly responded to Trump's allegations.
a day ago
Could U.S. tariffs drive up drug prices? Manitoba bioscience group says it's complicated, but possible
Medicine manufacturers across Canada are on edge with the looming threat of catastrophic tariffs on pharmaceutical exports to the U.S., experts say. Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs as high as 200 per cent on pharmaceuticals exported to the United States. Howard Lutnick, Trump's secretary of commerce, said details about the pharmaceutical tariffs would come at the end of July. The uncertainty this created is starting to reveal itself as stock prices of major pharmaceutical manufacturing companies with operations in Canada — companies like Emergent Biosolutions and Bausch Health — have declined in recent days. If a 200 per cent tariff were to be put into place then I think [pharmaceutical manufacturers] would have to potentially reconsider whether it makes sense to manufacture in Canada, says Shawn Bugden, dean of the school of pharmacy at Memorial University. So what could the impact be in Canada? Given the tariff uncertainty, it's intensely complicated, says Bugden. According to government data, the pharmaceutical industry in Canada represents two per cent (new window) of global market share, and the manufacturing portion of it alone consists of an average of 35,000 jobs since 2019. Enlarge image (new window) Andrea Ladouceur, president and chief executive officer of the Bioscience Association of Manitoba, describes the pharmaceutical industry as the cornerstone of the province's economy. Photo: CBC / Justin Fraser In Manitoba, medicine is one of the leading industries, accounting for between 30-35 per cent of the medicine manufactured in Canada, seven per cent of the province's GDP, and roughly 14,000 jobs, according to Andrea Ladouceur, president of the Bioscience Association of Manitoba. The pharmaceutical industry is the cornerstone of the Manitoba economy, said Ladouceur. If being in Canada becomes unaffordable for them, these companies are connected to the global market and moving out of Canada is not off the table. The danger of these companies leaving is multifaceted. Not only would there be the major economic impact of a shrinking key industry, but we'd also lose the security of having some of the drug supply manufactured here in Canada, according to Bugden. The reliance on international trade for essential goods like medicines has proved risky in the past. During the COVID-19 pandemic, drug shortages (new window) in Canada were not uncommon. If pharmaceutical manufacturers move operations out of the country, it will likely make Canada even more reliant on global markets than they already are: with 70 per cent of drugs imported from foreign countries, 16 per cent of which is imported from the U.S., accounting for nearly $9 billion, according to Bugden. However, Budgen's main concern is that a sizable tariff, like the 200 per cent figure touted by Trump, would undermine Canada's price control mechanisms like the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance — which he views as major assets to Canadians. The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board — established in 1987 but amended in 2019 — is meant to (new window) ensure that the prices of patented medicines sold in Canada are not excessive. The board reviews the price of drugs and medicine and conducts hearings which may result in orders to reduce prices to a non-excessive level, according to guidelines listed on their website. Shawn Bugden, dean of the school of pharmacy at Memorial University, says if Canadian pharmaceutical companies are hurt by tariffs on imports to the U.S., it could have an impact on the supply of some medicines in Canada. Photo: Submitted by Shawn Bugden Bugden says that as an unintended consequence, implementing such a substantial tariff would likely raise the cost of manufacturing drugs and medicine globally, in turn applying pressure on the review board to break their own rules and allow for higher-priced drugs. The Americans have been transparent, they say they have the highest drug prices in the world, we want to lower them, but we're not going to lower them, which is what they should do and they have the ability to do, we're instead going to try and make everybody else pay higher prices so that it allows our prices to go down, said Bugden. As things stand, many pharmaceutical companies are waiting to see what will happen. CBC News has reached out to several pharmaceutical companies in Manitoba, but none have wanted to comment given the uncertainty of the situation they're facing. Ladouceur says they're fearful that tariffs may force them to increase their prices. At the end of the day, any increase in cost will be passed on to the consumer, says Ladouceur. And so for these companies it is a very hard spot because they know it may put them out of reach for the consumer, and having medicines are key to having a healthy life and sometimes save a life, so they are really concerned their products will become unaffordable for those that need them most. Trump has said that there would be a period — a year, or a year and a half after a tariff would be imposed for companies to get their act together. In light of that, Bugden doesn't think the end consumer will be paying the price for at least a year. I don't think consumers need to worry about the prices changing tomorrow, said Bugden. Keep calm and carry on, don't think you need to run to the drug store and fill up your prescriptions. I'm confident in the institutions we have in Canada to do the best job possible to maintain pricing and accessibility for Canadians, said Bugden.
