Mr. Chair, it's another issue that is near and dear to us as we take a look at our ability to respond.
Let me first say that our top priority is protecting Canadians here at home. When the call comes, we shelve everything else to make sure we have the capacity to respond at speed. That being said, with the increasing frequency and intensity of these natural disasters, we are being called upon more and more to respond not necessarily as a force of last resort, but in some cases as a force of first choice.
What is needed? It's additional capacity. It could be at the municipal or provincial level. That being said—and I've publicly stated this before—given the extent of the disasters we're facing, we still have to be that force of last resort. The Canadian Forces still has to be there as the ultimate insurance policy for this country if there is not sufficient capacity.
What we provide and what any other organization should provide is that formed, organized labour pool that has its own inherent sustainment so it can supply itself; it can move itself; it can provide its own command and control and it can look after itself. That's the real value of what we provide. Any similar organization, any supplementary organization, should provide the same kinds of attributes.