National Defence Committee on Feb. 1st, 2018

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

Mr. Chair, Mr. Bezan has just indicated that there are other conversations or deeper conversations that would need to happen, including conversations within the steering committee. I'd like to move to adjourn debate on this subject for the moment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

That's dilatory. All right. All in favour of adjourning debate?

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

Is there going to be a recorded vote?

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

Okay. We'll have a recorded vote on the dilatory motion to adjourn debate.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 5; nays 4)

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

It's carried.

Do you have another one?

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

I have a second motion. It reads:

That the committee on National Defence conduct a study of no less than three (3) meetings, to consider the government’s purchase of used F-18 hornets as well as spare parts from the Royal Australian Air Force and the process of integrating these aircraft into the Royal Canadian Air Force; that this study be completed and findings of which be reported back to the House within 60 calendar days from adoption of this motion, and that meetings regarding this study be televised.

We did get some information today, and there is more forthcoming from Mr. Finn. It would still be good to hear from those members of the Royal Canadian Air Force who are tied to the replacement of our future fighter jets and the acquisition of these Super Hornets. It would also be good to bring in some Australian expertise on this. The Auditor General of Australia wrote some reports raising concerns about modernization of that fleet back in 2010 as well as corrosion issues with those planes.

I hope we can do this study. Again, there's not a timeline on this one, other than to get it done, hopefully sometime this spring.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

I have Mark Gerretsen, and then Randall.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Sorry; is this the motion on the F-18 Hornets?

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

Yes.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

It does say that it be reported back to the House within 60 days of the motion.

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

Right.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

This is what I was going to address. I'm not opposed to the idea of doing another study, but it's the timing. Again, we have all this ongoing stuff with NATO. I think we need to get the NATO stuff done, and then we can move to that afterwards.

I like Mr. Bezan's suggestion that we significantly reduce the number of witnesses on the NATO study. I would like to see that happen before we start committing to something else.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

I have Mr. Garrison, and then Mr. Spengemann.

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

What I would say on this one is that given that part of the question of replacement of fighter jets is our commitment to NATO, this certainly could be accommodated within our NATO study if the steering committee sat down and took a hard look at what we're doing. That would be my preferred approach—to include it in the NATO study, and make sure we finish that study and that it gets back to the House before we rise. I think that would accommodate the demand for timeliness in Mr. Bezan's motion. I think it takes the steering committee to sit down and look really hard at what the most efficient and best use of our time in the NATO study is.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

Next would be James, me, Randall, and then Mr. Fisher.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

There must be three of us.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

No.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

It's four people? You guys have to get to work. I'm listening to the discussion going on around here, and you guys have work to do.

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

I didn't even know when I got put on it, but I got put on the last one.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

There are three. Including you, there are two on our side.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

It's Leona and Darren.

I think I had Sven, but did you want to wade in before I move over to Sven, Randall?

Go ahead, Mr. Spengemann.

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

I'm going to yield to colleagues for your views.

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

I like Randall's suggestion that we make it part of the NATO study, especially with the testimony today. The commentary is that the extra jets are needed to meet both NATO and NORAD commitments simultaneously, so I would be prepared to change the motion. Where it says that the study be completed and findings be reported back after adoption of this motion, we would just say “that this be conducted as part of the NATO study”, and take that piece out.

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

Mr. Chair, I often agree with Randall, but I don't think it's part of the NATO study, so I don't know if I would support that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Stephen Fuhr]

We're still in discussion. It will get complex if we do it, so we can have a discussion until we agree or not. If you want to move an official amendment....