Mr. Valeriote, I am going to allow the vice-chief, Admiral Donaldson, to respond to that.
But I very much appreciate what you've said about your own experience within the parliamentary program. I think Canadians might be surprised to know the number of parliamentarians who, while not having formally served in the Canadian Forces, have taken part in this unique program where members of Parliament, like you, literally put on a uniform and take part in the daily lives and experience of the Canadian Forces.
With regard to recruitment, before I turn over the floor to Vice-Admiral Donaldson, we have in fact exceeded our numbers in recent years as far as recruiting is concerned. Much of that is because of the high profile, and I would express my bias in suggesting the brilliant performance, of members of the Canadian Forces in recent years, which has increased the desire Canadians to associate themselves with the Canadian Forces. In my estimation, they are now the most respected institution we have in the country.
Having said that, we have exceeded our numbers and, therefore, we are trying to keep a balance in what is laid out in the Canada First defence strategy and all the pillars of our defence department. These include our personnel; our equipment; our infrastructure, which means the bases and the housing allotment; and the key piece, our readiness or ability to respond to various missions, whether in our long-term planning or in missions like those to Haiti that just appear.
I'm going to let Admiral Donaldson respond to the specific question about recruitment, and I'll come back to your other question.