Public Accounts Committee on March 22nd, 2016

[Dominique Francoeur]

The chiefs of military personnel of the three sectors, the army, the navy and the air force are the ones who are determining the needs. As for the plan to meet operational needs, my assistant deputy minister Mr. Pitfield, the agency and I will develop it.

We are going to work on parallel tracks, but of course there will also be a lot of consultation. We have to wait and see what direction the government will take on this. Before holding consultations, we have to know if we are meeting the government's needs. There will be a new defence policy and the Minister of National Defence will have to take it into account and consult his colleagues.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Thank you, Mr. Lefebvre.

Mrs. Mendès.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

If the government is defining a new defence policy, and I imagine that's what you're referring to, are we talking about number of personnel or are we talking about operations? What are we talking about?

[Bill Jones]

We're talking about all of the above. The minister will launch the consultation process in the very near future to outline all of those issues and others in terms of what a new defence policy for Canada should look like.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

What is the current number of active military personnel? Do you know?

[MGen Derek Joyce]

We currently have approximately 66,000 regular force members in the Canadian Armed Forces.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Sixty-six thousand—

[MGen Derek Joyce]

Regular.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

—and only 12,000 units are managed by yourselves, managed by National Defence. Is that it?

[MGen Derek Joyce]

That's correct.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Is all the other housing in the private market?

[Dominique Francoeur]

In the private sector; they live in the private sector.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Or abroad, if they're stationed abroad.

[Dominique Francoeur]

Yes.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

What about the bases abroad? Are they managed by the agency too?

[Dominique Francoeur]

No.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Are they managed locally?

[MGen Derek Joyce]

In fact, from my own experience, I did a posting in the United Kingdom and they had a system that was quite similar to what we have set up here. There's no relationship between CFHA and that organization. Every country that we're posted to as military members, if they have military housing in the area, they will have a similar or slightly different type of military support.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

I'm talking about Canadian bases abroad.

[MGen Derek Joyce]

Canadian bases abroad?

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

We don't have many left, I don't think. There was Germany—

[MGen Derek Joyce]

I don't believe we have any Canadian housing abroad.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Not in Germany?

[MGen Derek Joyce]

No.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

So there's none left abroad. Okay.

I guess that's it for me.