What I wanted to say was that the Canadian Armed Forces are the most valuable and essential aspects of Canada's defence.
Today is an important day, because we actually have Canadian Armed Forces members en route to Latvia from Valcartier. They are travelling as part of Operation Reassurance, and I want to wish them well.
Your country thanks you, and I also thank you.
The strength of our armed forces comes down to the well-being of those who serve in them. All that we do, from procurement to health care to culture change, must be focused on the people who put service before self, the members of our armed forces.
These priorities are reflected in the $673 million we are requesting in these estimates, which is what I'm here to discuss today.
With this funding, we will maintain our international commitments, make further investments in our Canadian Armed Forces, accelerate our culture change efforts and strengthen our physical and digital footprint across the country.
I'd like to talk a little bit more about each of those areas today.
Our efforts on the world stage are only possible because of our skilled and dedicated Canadian Armed Forces personnel and the civilian personnel who support them in their essential duties.
Everywhere I go, in Canada and around the world, people say they want more Canadian Armed Forces. They want more Canada. This is the reality, and it is one of the reasons we need to invest in our people. We are only as strong as the people who come forward to wear a military uniform.
We know our people are at their best when we work to ensure their success and their well-being; where they are well supported throughout their entire careers; where they receive fair compensation for their work; and where they feel safe, respected and protected every single day. Simply put, our armed forces need to know that Canadians and the government have their back.
As we have seen during the COVID‑19 pandemic, and as we see regularly during natural disasters, our Armed Forces are there when we need them. We need to be there when they need us.
To that end, we are requesting $108 million to expand long-term disability and life insurance coverage for CAF members; $25.6 million towards the CAF health care plan; $8.5 million to increase compensation for certain occupations within the CAF, such as pilots, special operations forces and search and rescue technicians; $6.7 million towards the restorative engagement portion of the DND-CAF sexual misconduct class action settlement; and $4.5 million as well as $3.8 million to address gender-based violence and expand the reach and service of the sexual misconduct response centre.
To touch briefly on our engagement in the world, and to ensure we maintain our much-needed presence in the world, we are requesting funding for several ongoing CAF missions, including $27 million for Operation Unifier in Ukraine, $65 million for Operation Reassurance in eastern and central Europe, $129 million for Operation Impact in the Middle East, and $5.6 million for peace support operations in Africa.
We are also requesting $103 million to support the NATO Readiness Initiative.
In the face of global uncertainty, we must maintain strong relationships with our allies and like-minded partners.
Mr. Chair, to conclude, it's no secret that our organization is facing challenges within our ranks and in our efforts to safeguard our country while remaining engaged abroad.
The funding requested in these supplementary estimates (C) covers a wide range of priorities, given these challenges.
By approving these requests, we will ensure that our people in uniform remain well positioned, well supported and well equipped in a time of incredible change and uncertainty.
Thank you. Meegwetch. I look forward to your questions.
