National Defence Committee on Dec. 6th, 2018

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

General, a number of initiatives in “Strong, Secure, Engaged” have already been implemented by the Canadian Armed Forces. We've enhanced tax relief for members on deployed international operations.

How do these measures help put our women and men in uniform first when it comes to supporting our military?

[Gen Jonathan Vance]

Again, it's a big area. The defence policy as it relates to our people is big. The first chapter is all about it, as you know.

I think the best way to answer this.... I'm very happy about the tax relief. It eliminated the need to try to distinguish between missions. It was to compensate people for being away from home with an added risk factored in.

I'm delighted about where we got to. You're deployed, you're on a named operation that we designed, and you are relieved of paying tax. I think it's a great thing, and it's a good thing for the troops. Everything that's a good thing for the troops is something that I like.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Are there other initiatives that you want to...?

[Gen Jonathan Vance]

There are. I think, broadly speaking, we need to be very conscious as we make decisions, whether it's going through lean years where budgets are reduced, or rich years where budgets are going up, to pay down the people part first. We haven't always done that.

We've tried to maintain a balance to ensure we have operational output, which is good. Nobody has ever made a bad decision, but as we make those decisions over time there is a gradual erosion of support to people. The medical system—you cut a few here. The personnel management system—you cut a few here.

Over time, as we arrived at the work we did to put advice before the minister on the defence policy, I arrived very firmly at the conclusion that we've eroded too far. We had processes in place that were largely designed to be so balanced as to sometimes be unfair to the people. Actions that were designed to find efficiencies and all of that bureaucratic language ended up meaning you're going to do it to the troops. It was never intended, nobody ever does that on purpose, and no individual act did it. I'm not blaming anybody.

However, I think it's fair to say that as we look back there has been an erosion of the power and support that we have to support our people and their families. I believe that we need to pay that down first—the minister certainly does—and that's where the policy is. From a compensation and benefits review, to how your career is managed, to what type of a career path you can have, all of that, I think we have to ensure that our human capital is in great shape first, before we start using it. As the military does, you employ people to get things done. Let's make certain they're good before we do that.

I think what I've done as a result of that policy is to be able to sponsor a bit more of an emphasis on the people and their families, at least in what I would consider to be a less pejorative balance as it relates to other things that we might do in terms of their operations and procurement and all the rest of it.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

That's great news.

We just touched on relationships—with Turkey and things like that. What is the CAF's relationship with the Kurds right now?

[Gen Jonathan Vance]

It is very good. We're living in Erbil.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

That's very good.

I'm good. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

Madam Gallant.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Thank you.

For nearly two decades, Iraq's been mired in conflict. What barometers are the Canadian Armed Forces using to determine when to withdraw Canadian forces from Iraq? Would it be when peace is restored?

[Gen Jonathan Vance]

There are a variety of performance metrics that are being used by the coalition, and will be used by the NATO mission, to determine the voracity and the capability of the Iraqi armed forces. That will be taken into account. There's also decision-making by the Iraqi government. I think the Iraqi government will have the ultimate say as to when it thinks Iraq is far enough along and no longer in need of international support. I don't know what barometers it will use, but one of them will certainly be whether there is an immediate threat from Daesh. If there's no immediate threat from Daesh, what's the residual threat, and does Iraq have the capacity to deal with that residual threat?

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Of the 2,500 people who were treated by the medical and dental teams, what's the breakdown between the domestic population and the troops—our troops and other troops—who may have been treated there?

[Gen Jonathan Vance]

A very small number of that 2,500 would have been our troops, but anybody who goes through, even for a minor sickness that one recovers quickly from and just needs some medicine for, would be counted in that. Our troops were part of that. However, we don't treat the civil population, as a rule. We treat military people.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

When our troops are getting ready to exit the theatre, do they go to that decompression spot that we provided for troops exiting Afghanistan?

[Gen Jonathan Vance]

No, they do not, not for this mission.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

General, you stated how proud the troops in the Canadian Armed Forces are to participate in domestic operations. A number of troops were tasked with setting up tents at illegal spots of crossing from the United States to Canada. I looked through the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report, but I couldn't find a line item for what the cost to the military was. Do you have an idea of what that is? If not, would you provide it to the committee at a further point in time before the end of the year?

[Gen Jonathan Vance]

Yes, Madam, I'll take that on notice.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

General Vance, thank you very much for coming today.

In this 42nd Parliament, this committee has been to the Pentagon in D.C., to NORAD HQ in Colorado Springs, to NATO HQ in Brussels, to eFP in Latvia, to Ukraine. You probably know that we're going to be going to Mali in February. Without question, everywhere this committee has gone we've heard nothing but positivity and accolades for the Canadian Armed Forces. I want to pass that on to you.

Thank you for coming today. Thank you for your leadership, and thank you for your service to Canada.

[Gen Jonathan Vance]

Thank you, sir.

I thank all of you for what you do.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

Thank you.

We'll suspend.

[Proceedings continue in camera]