National Defence Committee on Oct. 10th, 2024

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Yes, it's still a work in progress, but I've been to the munitions production plants in Quebec. I think that we've had a number of important conversations, and our team is working very closely with them. They told us two things. They told us that they need investment in their production lines and that they need secure supply chains in order to increase their production. They also need the certainty that would come with long-term contracts. They know that if the orders were there, they would produce to meet those orders.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

With all due respect, Minister, we know what the industry needs. My question concerns production. In fact, right now, how far along are we?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

We are still working very much in the negotiation because, when we went to industry, they told us they needed a certain amount of money, of investment. When we went back to them with that money, they doubled it. Then we went back to them with another significant increase in our investment, and they doubled it again.

I have a responsibility to manage the Canadian taxpayer dollars, and we are stewards of those dollars. There's a negotiation taking place about what is the right investment in those industries, and there's also some work to do to complete the long-term contracts that they need. We are going to increase our production and our acquisition of those munitions because we need to do it, but we need to do it responsibly.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you very much.

During her last appearance before the committee, General Carignan implied, in veiled terms, that budget cuts were having an impact on troop training capacity.

I'd like to know if, when the cuts were announced a year ago, an impact study had been done, and if an impact study is currently being done to analyze the effect of the cuts on troops training capacity.

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

To be really clear, we cut about $211 million from our budget. We made those adjustments and those reductions on things like professional services, executive travel, hospitality and all of those things. I issued a very clear direction to the CDS and to the Department of National Defence that none of those reductions should impact on our operational readiness or on the important services that we supply to Canadian Armed Forces members. I believe, in the analysis that has taken place, that those important services and capabilities were not impacted by these reductions.

At the same time, I think it is incumbent upon every federal department to make sure that we're spending money well and wisely and that we're getting true value for the investment Canadians are making in their Canadian Armed Forces.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

We are out of time.

Madam Mathyssen, you have two and a half minutes.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Part of the CAF-DND class action on sexual misconduct was that a number of clear deliverables were to be taken at the five-year anniversary, which is very quickly approaching.

One of those clear deliverables is the review of the mandate of the sexual misconduct support and resource centre. I've heard a lot from survivors of military sexual trauma about their complex relationships with the SMSRC. There are positives—certainly, that is necessary to talk about—but there are also major gaps in the programming. There are concerns about the structure, and there are unanswered questions about the independence of the SMSRC.

When I asked the chief of the defence staff, General Carignan, during her appearance, there weren't concrete details. Can you tell this committee about the work being done to prepare for this review? Can you commit to ensuring that the review will be fulsome, with access to any documents necessary for this review? Will it have a wide enough scope to rebuild trust with survivors?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

You and I have had an opportunity to speak about some of these issues before. As I've acknowledged to you, a great deal of work has been done, but more needs to be done. I appreciate your acknowledging that, I think, we've made some real progress on the SMSRC and on the work that has been done in support of victims following this report. We are coming up, in February 2025, on the fifth anniversary, and there is a commitment there to that work.

I can share with you that we're currently pursuing a court appointment for the external review team lead. We think that's an important initiative. I think we've also been able to demonstrate our commitment to greater judicial independence of military justice actors by removing some of these conditions under Bill C-66 so that these matters are dealt with in the civilian system, rather than people having to go to their boss.

I also very strongly believe that the decision to pursue an investigation and a criminal prosecution is entirely the agency of the victim. At the same time, we have a responsibility to provide them with victim support services, no matter what is taking place.

We've also talked about some of the important work that's gone on with Justice Arbour's recommendations, with our implementation plan and with the appointment of the external monitor, who, by the way, every two months, produces a very comprehensive report, which I hope that you all have access to, that explains the progress of the work and the implementation of Justice Arbour's recommendations. We're moving on a number of other recommendations, including the Fish report. All of that needs to be coordinated and brought together in a meaningful way. Restoring trust for all of those people who have experienced this is our priority.

I'm very happy to continue, if you would like.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you, Ms. Mathyssen and Mr. Minister.

Ms. Gallant, you have five minutes.

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

What instructions have you given your current chief of staff to ensure they don't withhold information from you that's vital to national security, like the way Zita, your former chief of staff at Public Safety, and the chief of staff for the former CDS, for Minister Sajjan, did during the Vance controversy?

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

I would reiterate my view that this is the mandate of the current minister and his commentary on previous ministers' practices or non-practices is out of scope.

However, having said that, proceed.

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Chair, I'll defer to your ruling as to whether this is in scope or not.

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

Okay. There are no measures taken to overcome the problems we had, then, with the minister and Vance?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

As a point of clarification, I did not say that.

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

Are you satisfied that Canada is investing sufficiently in cyber-capabilities to deter and respond to non-state cyber-aggression?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Yes, we got some really good news on that.

Just a few weeks ago, we stood up our new Canadian Armed Forces cyber command under General Yarker. They'll be located here in Ottawa, and there have been some very significant new investments.

In “Our North, Strong and Free”, I would point out an investment of more than a billion dollars in cyber-capabilities at CSE and I'm sure that my colleagues from CSE will be able to expand on that.

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

How do the repeated breaches at GAC continue to occur?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Again, in this room, unfortunately I'm not going to talk to you a little too much about those things. I think there's some great work that is being done, particularly by CSE.

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

They need more money to get what needs to be done to keep them secure. How are you going to get that money?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

The Government of Canada experiences billions of attacks on its systems each and every day, and I think our officials do some extraordinary work and—

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

GAC is still being attacked every day and the intruders are getting through.

Barracks for new recruits are in such poor condition they've had to be condemned, and you haven't allotted any money to replace these buildings on a number of bases. How are you going to recruit and retain our lower ranks when federal prisoners have better accommodations?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Unfortunately, your question omits the fact that there is already existing funding for investing in those things.

I've recently been out. We're investing very significantly in new barracks in Esquimalt. We just opened up new barracks in Borden. There are already monies already allocated. I invite you to go to some of those bases and see the new facilities.

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

I do see my base. I've been to Petawawa. They've had to condemn two buildings, and there has been no money in sight to replace those buildings. They don't even have enough accommodations for the current lower ranks and we have to accommodate people coming in for training for the Latvia mission. Where are we going to put them all? They can't all be in tents all winter.

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

I've already referenced that there's some really important work going on right now to increase our capacity to provide basic training and other training to all of our members. I would acknowledge that after decades of underinvestment in the Canadian Armed Forces, certainly through safe, strong and engaged and now through ONSF, we're making—

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

I'm passing it to my colleague now.