Evidence of meeting #42 for National Defence in the 40th Parliament, 3rd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was aircraft.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Yes, it's simple to say, but it is a little tougher to do. It's not that we shouldn't strive for that, but we also have to face some realities.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
With respect to the Cormorant--and again, I'd like to get your take on another comment we heard this morning--our Cormorants are leading the fleet worldwide. One of the things that comes with that is that we're finding the problems first.
Secretary, Local 90120, Union of National Defence Employees
It would be sooner.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
That's one of the things that's obviously driving our maintenance man-hours per flight-hour.
Just to be clear, because some people sometimes have the wrong impression when you say that it's 30 maintenance man-hours per flight-hour, it doesn't mean that the aircraft is down for 30 hours. It means that there are 30 man-hours worth of.... There are techs working concurrently, and so on.
Secretary, Local 90120, Union of National Defence Employees
Right, every technician accounts for his hours.
Secretary, Local 90120, Union of National Defence Employees
Yes, they're accumulated.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Now, just to be clear, because I think this is an important point, you're having challenges now with respect to resources--people, spares, and so on. Did I hear you correctly when you said that to maintain the posture now you would need, in your view, five avn techs and one supply tech just to...?
Secretary, Local 90120, Union of National Defence Employees
Five avn techs and one supply tech is the minimum--
Secretary, Local 90120, Union of National Defence Employees
--in its present state.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
That would be to maintain the current posture of 30 and two, and so on.
Secretary, Local 90120, Union of National Defence Employees
Absolutely, yes sir.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
You talked about inventory control and so on and some of the breakdowns and that, because you have techs going in and out of the supply.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Is there any effort, or should there be an effort, to train the techs in some inventory control procedures?
Secretary, Local 90120, Union of National Defence Employees
We already know how to do that, but that's the problem. Now what you're doing is taking the aircraft technician off the aircraft and giving him a job in something that we're saying we're already undermanned in.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Yes, so really, the sup tech is the long pole of the tent here.
Secretary, Local 90120, Union of National Defence Employees
It's the only solution.
Conservative
Secretary, Local 90120, Union of National Defence Employees
We deal with IMP management, so everything we've said has gone to the program director, Mr. Bill Ricketts.
Secretary, Local 90120, Union of National Defence Employees
You would, yes.
Retired Fishing Captain, As an Individual
Sir, I have a statement from IMP, if you'd like to hear, with regard to Mr. O'Callaghan's comments here today.