Madam Speaker, both military and civilian employees of the Department of National Defence are under heavy attack from this government. That was evidenced by what the federal standing defence committee heard last week in Halifax.
The committee was told of military families so strapped for money they were forced to knowingly cash bad cheques to pay for their children's medicine. There were also horror stories about people injured while serving their country, only to be thrown on the scrap heap by DND.
Instead of working to maximize the potential of our armed forces, this Liberal government has chosen to treat our defence personnel as second class citizens, sacrificing their jobs and their families' future to the short term selfish economic gains of large corporations.
This Liberal government's ASD allegedly stands for alternate service delivery. It really stands for armed services destruction.
This shortsighted and destructive strategy of cutting the civilian workforce in Halifax, Goose Bay, Shiloh, Gagetown and throughout the country hurts not only those employees sacrificed but also their families and entire communities.
This offensive against Canada's military reads like a well crafted government strategic campaign to attack from two fronts. It was not enough to disrupt the lives and plans of civilian defence employees by forcing them to all of a sudden compete for service bids with mega corporations.
When civilian military workers successfully beat the ASD contract bids of private companies, this government abruptly changed the rules of engagement to favour large corporations. The bundling of bids provides for the awarding of contracts on a national basis, not only a cheap shot at our military but a slap in the face to small businesses throughout this country.
What is this Liberal government's real agenda, an efficient military or a privatized and gutted military where there are enough funds for huge capital purchases but not enough to sustain the dedicated men and women serving Canada in both civilian and military roles?
Before rushing blindly into a minefield, will this government not take time and fully explore what this will mean to the people of Halifax and elsewhere?
The plan to cut 125 jobs at CFB Halifax is structured to allow management favourites to keep their jobs while those with better credentials are fired.
There are close to two and a half thousand civilian defence employees in Nova Scotia, about 90% of them in greater metro Halifax.
In 1994 the federal government cut over 50% of the civilian jobs at CFB Shearwater and has been cutting further through this ASD fiasco. Just what are the government's plans for Shearwater? The people of Halifax deserve to know what this government has up its sleeve for their future.
In Goose Bay, Newfoundland where support services were privatized to a foreign corporation, jobs and wages were slashed. The impact on the local community has been dire, with everyone from the DND workers to the local chamber of commerce denouncing the shortsighted and selfish deal.
The Minister of Defence has suggested that people would be treated humanely as this offensive against Canada's military was deployed. If laying off people and cutting salaries in half is humane, it is a good thing his portfolio does not include human rights.
The people of the Halifax region, throughout the province of Nova Scotia and across Canada deserve answers, answers this Liberal government seems loathe to provide, as if it is afraid to jeopardize this backward strategy of taking wages and jobs from Canada's civilian defence personnel in order to hand over quick cash to large corporations. Not good enough.