Mr. Speaker, it has been some weeks now since we have been asking this question and there is still nothing coming from the government side.
Canada is on the verge of going into a ground war. Yet we still do not know how much it has cost just to involve ourselves in the air strikes. The defence budget has been cut by $7.8 billion since 1993. The current budget leaves no room for air strikes. It leaves no room for ground defence. Our troops, and the Prime Minister will recall, were given axe handles to protect themselves in Macedonia.
What assurances can the Prime Minister give our troops that they will have the right equipment to go to war?