Madam Chair, the associate minister has ample resources with him tonight to answer that very simple question, and I expect an answer this evening forthwith. I will give the associate minister another opportunity.
House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2015, with 31% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2012
Madam Chair, the associate minister has ample resources with him tonight to answer that very simple question, and I expect an answer this evening forthwith. I will give the associate minister another opportunity.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2012
Madam Chair, we are really down the rabbit hole on this one because all of that has no credibility whatsoever.
That is three times we are all aware that the government made a decision to buy this fighter jet. Then it even named the very secretariat the associate minister has been referring to as the F-35 secretariat.
I will start on a new line of questioning.
How many DND and Canadian Forces staff have been assigned to the joint strike fighter office in Washington, D.C.?
Business of Supply May 9th, 2012
Madam Chair, that is two times the government made a decision to purchase the F-35 that we all know about. However, there is a third one, at least, that goes back to July 15, 2010.
I know. I have seen pictures of the Minister of National Defence hopping in and out of the cockpit of the F-35 jet and announcing at a press conference on that very day that the government had made a decision to buy the F-35, 65 of them in fact.
Could the government please confirm that actually happened?
Business of Supply May 9th, 2012
Madam Chair, I do not know how the associate minister can say that the government accepts the conclusions of the Auditor General and then stand and say the government is in fact rejecting the conclusion of the Auditor General that a decision must be made. However, that is one decision point. There is another one, too.
I quote from the Canada first defence strategy which the parliamentary secretary was just referring to, which states:
Through this 20-year plan, based on a detailed assessment of requirements, the Government has committed to renewing the Forces' core equipment platforms.
These will preserve maximum flexibility in countering the range of threats facing Canada and include....
Fighters
Starting in 2017, 65 next-generation fighter aircraft to replace the existing fleet of CF-18s.
The only next generation fighter aircraft according to the government is the F-35.
Here we have yet another decision point of the government saying it is going to buy 65 of these jet fighters. Would the government please confirm that for me?
Business of Supply May 9th, 2012
Madam Chair, in that report, did not the Auditor General conclude that the government had made a decision in 2006 effectively to purchase the F-35 fighter jet by virtue of its signature on the 2006 memorandum of understanding?
Business of Supply May 9th, 2012
Madam Chair, much reference has been made this evening to chapter 2 of the Auditor General's spring report with respect to replacing Canada's fighter jets.
I have heard the government say that it agrees with the recommendations and conclusions of that report. Would the government confirm that for us tonight, please?
National Defence May 9th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, maybe the minister is having trouble figuring out which set of books to enter those numbers into.
Yesterday the report on plans and priorities for DND revealed the familiar procurement pattern of delays and cost escalation. This time it is the Arctic icebreaker, pushed back to 2018. The Conservatives promised it in 2013 and then by 2015. In the meantime, costs have escalated by $40 million and counting.
Why has every Conservative procurement project been late, over budget and poorly managed?
National Defence May 9th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, this is the government that has two sets of books on the F-35 and now is telling Canadians “just trust us” on the budget, on appointments, et cetera. I do not think so.
This is also the government that claimed for ages that each plane would cost $75 million and then attacked anybody who contradicted it. Last week, the Department of National Defence sent officials to Washington to get updated numbers on the escalating costs of the F-35.
Can the procurement minister share with Canadians the new cost numbers?
National Defence May 8th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot about the seven-step plan, but we have a seven-word solution: just put this contract out to tender.
A retired assistant deputy minister in charge of DND procurement disclosed a document confirming that the Minister of Public Works and Government Services would have signed off on the 160-word letter from DND.
For now, rhetoric aside, simply yes or no: did the Minister of Public Works and Government Services sign off on the letter from DND?
National Defence May 7th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, trying to justify the sole sourcing of the multi-billion dollar purchase of fighter jets on the basis of a 160 word letter is not acceptable.
However, there is more to this story. Today, a retired assistant deputy minister from National Defence released a book. It is about how the F-35 process was botched. It is a disheartening and shameful story of Canadians being misled by their government and of a government that would do anything to hide from accountability.
Why will Conservatives not listen to reason and put this contract out to tender?