Welcome General, welcome, Colonel.
I had the pleasure of going to a regimental mess dinner with the Fusiliers Mont-Royal. As a matter of fact, I recognized the tie of the Fusiliers Mont-Royal that my father belonged to. I greatly enjoyed your dinner.
However, the situation you have outlined worries me. I did not think that the situation had deteriorated to that extent. If I understand you correctly, the only role that is presently envisaged for the Militia is that of a reserve for the Regular Force. That is virtually all that the department wishes to use it for.
I understand that throughout history, the Militia, in Quebec as elsewhere, was something else. Its specificity was its proximity to civilian authorities. In a disaster situation, an extremely rapidly deployable response team can intervene. As a matter of fact, I can bear witness to this myself, since I found myself inside the “dark triangle“ during the ice storm that hit Saint-Jean, Granby and Saint-Hyacinthe. As soon as things took a turn for the worse, we began to see the reservists arrive.
You are therefore telling us that there is a change of philosophy in the department. This change would result from the document entitled Strategic Corporations and Resource Plan, that was delivered by the Chief of the Land Staff. You are therefore talking about General Leslie, if I am not mistaken.