National Defence Committee on March 8th, 2016

[John Forster]

Last year the previous government made a decision to transfer not search and rescue but the secretariat to Public Safety. It's a small team of about 20 to 25 people that was in National Defence. It was felt it was better placed to work within Public Safety, because they're working closely with provinces, territories, and cities on emergency management. The secretariat, which is a coordination function, was moved to Public Safety to get them closer to that.

We still retain search and rescue responsibility using the air force, and so on. That part hasn't changed. This is just a transfer of the budget to Public Safety to go with that responsibility.

[Sven Spengemann, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

In accordance with the decision to.... Okay.

The second is a $3-million transfer. It includes a number of agencies and departments under the Canadian safety and security program. I'll list some of them. They are Atomic Energy, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, nuclear safety, Security Intelligence Service, health, industry, National Research Council, Natural Resources, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Can you comment on that transfer in the context of the Canadian safety and security program and how the funds are going to be spent?

[John Forster]

Yes, sure.

There is a program called the Canadian safety and security program, and it funds research, technology, and development. Our research organization, DRDC, manages that program on behalf of all the departments. We hold the money. Departments generate proposals to do research projects for better safety and security, new technology, and we're the banker. Once a project is peer-reviewed and approved, we transfer the money to the sponsoring department that will conduct the research, and that's what these transfers are.

[Sven Spengemann, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

That's all I have, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

You have about ninety seconds, Mr. Bezan, for a quick question and answer, please.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I just want to ask a quick question, then, on Arctic security. There's $1.7 million that has been requested for Fisheries and Oceans to go towards our Nanisivik Arctic naval facility. I just want to get an update on how that's going. Yesterday General Vance appeared before the Senate committee on national security and defence and brought up the issue of drones with the justice program, using them for surveillance in the Arctic, and also he was speculating on the arming of those drones.

I would like to get comments on that as well.

[John Forster]

Quickly, with respect to the transfer in the supplementary estimates for Fisheries and Oceans, it's actually the money. We are transferring property from the Fisheries and Oceans department to ND. It's about 43 hectares, which will be part of that Nanisivik port. So that's the money we owe them for that property transfer.

I think the project is moving along very well. If you'd like, Mr. Chair, we'd be happy to send you a more detailed update on the status of the project, but we're pleased with how it's progressing.

[LGen Guy R. Thibault]

Thank you, Mr. Bezan, for the question.

Quickly, on the JUSTAS program, which is our joint unmanned surveillance and target acquisition program, we currently have a request for information to industry to solicit their views on how they might be able to satisfy our requirements. What we're looking for is expressed in the defence acquisition guide. As well, at the same time as we consult with the industry, the commander of the air force has reached out to allies to look at capabilities that might form a potential investment for us, but we will expect to have more, which we'll bring through our regular defence capabilities governance in the early spring.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

Thank you very much, General.

I'd like to thank the panel very much for appearing today. We appreciate your time and you're welcome to leave. If you'd like to stick around, that's up to you.

We're really pinched for time here so we're going to move on. We have to be out of this room in about four minutes, so I'm hoping we can get done what we came here to do.

By a show of hands, do I have unanimous consent of the committee to call all the votes on the supplementary estimates (C) together? I need a show of hands, please. Okay, it looks like we have unanimous consent.

COMMUNICATIONS SECURITY ESTABLISHMENT

Vote 1c—Program expenditures..........$34,343,682

(Vote 1c agreed to)

NATIONAL DEFENCE

Vote 1c—Operating expenditures..........$215,485,400

Vote 5c—Capital expenditures..........$2,148,160

(Votes 1c and 5c agreed to)

Shall the chair report the votes on the supplementary estimates (C) to the House?

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Yes and no.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

I saw all the hands yes, but you didn't...?

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

I'm voting against the estimates.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

You're voting against the estimates.

I didn't see you, my apologies.

Shall the chair report the votes on the supplementary estimates (C) to the House?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

Thank you for your patience and thank you for your time.

The meeting is adjourned.