National Defence Committee on Feb. 9th, 2012

[Steven Staples]

If those are legitimate missions that meet the requirements and support of what Canadians want, yes, we should. Yes, we should be a part of those.

I regretted that we weren't part of the UN mission in the Congo when we were asked a few years ago. We could have made a really important contribution there.

Much has been made of the C-17 capability. I was reluctant to make that acquisition, but we have the planes now. The UN is crying out for the kind of logistical capability that I think Canada could contribute internationally.

I'm not an isolationist. I think we need to make a contribution internationally to those right missions.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

So it's safe to say, then, you're not going to be on Ron Paul's campaign team. That's safe to say.

I'll just take a little bit of a turn here. What is your view on funding with CIDA? Should it be increased or decreased? Also, what is your viewpoint on funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs? Do you think it should be increased or decreased?

[Steven Staples]

Absolutely our veterans need to be taken care of. We owe it to them. That's an important obligation that has to be met.

In terms of CIDA, I've been very—

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Do you think funding should be increased or decreased at Veterans Affairs? Given your position with national defence spending, is it up or down?

[Steven Staples]

It's a different line item. It needs to meet whatever those requirements are. I haven't specifically looked to see whether the Department of Veterans Affairs is meeting its requirements, although I am very sensitive to the voices of those veterans who say they haven't been getting the kind of help they need. So I think that is important.

In terms of CIDA, I like David Cameron's analysis on Afghanistan. Had we done the foreign aid in the right place at the right time, we could have avoided a lot of big costs and saved a lot of lives. I wonder what we're missing today that we could prevent in the future.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Thank you. Time has expired. We are also out of time for our meeting.

Mr. Staples, Mr. Macdonald, thanks for your input and for joining us on our study on readiness. We'll take your testimony into consideration as we draft our report.

With that, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn.

Okay, we're out of here.