Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the work that she does on the committee. I want to assure all in the House that everything this government does has both an environmental lens attached to it and a first nations lens attached to it. We have ensured and will continue to ensure that we are taking the steps needed to select the right fighter jet at the right price with the right benefits to the Canadian Armed Forces and our economy.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will keep my comments brief. I want to thank the member for the question and the work that he does to support the members of the Canadian Armed Forces in his riding. I am very proud of our record on the shift that we have seen over the last number of years, since “Strong, Secure, Engaged”, in supporting families and connecting with them on the issues that make life within the military that much more challenging.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Don Valley West this morning. I rise in the House to talk about the progress we have made in implementing Canada's defence policy of Strong, Secure, Engaged. When we first released SSE back in 2017, we provided a comprehensive list of capital projects, policies and procedures to ensure that our military could meet our biggest defence and security threats now and into the future.

Public Services and Procurement  Madam Speaker, we are ensuring that our Canadian Armed Forces have the equipment they need to protect Canadians. On Monday, we announced that we will enter into the finalization phase with the top-ranked bidder for the F-35 fighter jet, bringing us one step closer to delivering on a new fleet of 88 state-of-the-art fighter jets for our Royal Canadian Air Force.

Public Services and Procurement  Madam Speaker, as I said, we are ensuring that our Canadian Armed Forces have the equipment they need to protect Canadians. Although this process is long, we are focused on getting it right. Again, on Monday, we announced that we will enter into the finalization phase with the top-ranked bidder for the F-35 fighter jet, bringing us just one step closer to having those 88 fighter jets in service.

Persons With Disabilities  Madam Speaker, the harsh truth is that Canadians with disabilities are twice as likely to live in poverty. The COVID pandemic has only intensified that pressure. The Canadian disability benefit is a priority for the government, and it will be a key component of Canada's first-ever disability inclusion action plan.

Persons With Disabilities  Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Port Moody—Coquitlam for raising this important issue. I would remind the hon. member that we introduced legislation to establish the disability benefit, Bill C-35, on June 22, 2021. We originally notified Canadians of our intent to introduce that legislation in budget 2020.

Foreign Affairs  Madam Speaker, although military intervention must always be a last resort, we know we need robust and well-equipped armed forces to keep our country and Canadians safe, to show solidarity and support to our allies and partners, and to deploy, in the direst of circumstances, where peace and prosperity feel far out of reach.

Foreign Affairs  Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for giving me the opportunity to speak about Canada's role on the international stage. I know that all members here today have a profound respect and admiration for the work our military members do and for the dedication and sacrifices of all who have served.

Health  Madam Speaker, on that ominous note, the Public Health Agency of Canada and its provincial and territorial partners are working together and planning for an approach that is sustainable as we address the ongoing presence of the BA.2 variant. Canada's response has been and will continue to be based on scientific evidence and expert opinion.

Health  Madam Speaker, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada has been supporting Canadians. Our goal has been to minimize serious illness and overall deaths with minimal disruption to society. With the recent emergence of the BA.2 variant, we are seeing rising cases and differing levels of severity in regions across the country.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, as the minister has said many times, we are leaving no stone unturned to support our Ukrainian friends. We have announced six tranches of military aid, both lethal and non-lethal, to Ukraine since February alone. This represents well over $100 million in military aid to Ukraine.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, our government takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and we are committed to taking strong action on any allegation that is brought forward, no matter the rank, no matter the position. We are committed to supporting survivors, and that is why we have committed over $236 million through budget 2021 to eliminate sexual misconduct and gender-based violence in the CAF, transferred misconduct cases to the civilian system and passed the victims bill of rights, and that is only the beginning.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, National Defence provided a cache of weapons and equipment, originally stored at 25 Canadian Forces Supply Depot in Montreal, to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in February 2022 under an agreement that they would not be transferred to any other entity. The weapons that were stored at the supply depot were purchased in new condition and stored in their original manufacturer provided packaging and, therefore, were not maintained.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, throughout the 2021 federal election, the security and intelligence threats to elections, or SITE, task force actively monitored the situation for signs of foreign interference. The SITE task force consists of representatives from the Communications Security Establishment or CSE, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Global Affairs Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and works together to raise awareness, monitor and report on threats and to provide advice to protect democratic processes.