moved for leave to introduce Bill C-232, an act to facilitate participation in the reserve force.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Calgary Northeast for seconding this bill.
Canada is relying more on reservists to meet its military commitments. With the recent downsizing of the regular force the demand on reservists will undoubtedly increase.
The 1996 report on the restructuring of the reserves found that reservists had a serious training deficit when compared with trades and ranks in the regular force. Part of the problem is that reservists are unavailable for training, often due to the demands of their jobs or difficulty in scheduling time off to coincide with the training exercises and courses offered.
Many reservists use their annual vacations to attend exercises essential to developing their military skills. This is a great price for them and their families to pay, to have to forfeit a well deserved vacation to serve their country.
If we are to have an effective volunteer reserve force and if Canada is to meet its international commitments we must take steps to ensure that reservists are able to get the training they need and the time required to get that training.
This bill seeks to ensure that employees of the federal government are given the time they need for training in Canada's reserves. This will show leadership to employers in the private sector and facilitate the development and professionalism of Canada's citizen soldiers.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)