Thank you very much for that, and thank you for your service to this country, both in the public sphere today here as a member of Parliament and as a member of our armed forces. All of us are very grateful for that.
With respect to your question as to why this money is needed, we have to maintain our capability as an armed force in this country. We never know when we will be called upon to lend assistance either at home or abroad. As I mentioned in my opening remarks, we were called upon and volunteered to help out in the Philippines. I mentioned the flooding that took place in Alberta where we were called upon to help. You see the changing situation in Ukraine and eastern Europe. Again, we have to have that capability. It's not enough for us to hitch a ride with our allies if we want to contribute.
I went to Trenton to see off our troops who were assisting in the Philippines, to see that we had that capability to lead there, to take equipment, to take individuals, to get there, to get on the ground to help. I was very proud of that, but as you know, capability is not just a one-time thing that you can prepare for and then get away from. It has to be continuous. Therefore, as you know and as your committee is well aware, the military is involved in a number of projects, sometimes in conjunction with Public Works and other government agencies, to get the right equipment for our men and women in uniform. We have to maintain that capability. I think it's important as part of these estimates that there be funding for that.