Madam Speaker, I rise today to raise the issue of the desperate shape of our Canadian forces helicopters.
Let us listen to this litany of shame: February 1993, Sea King ditched in Gulf of Mexico due to electrical systems failure; April 1994, Sea King crashed in New Brunswick killing two crew and injuring others; August 1994, Sea King fleet grounded following emergency landing; May 1995, Labrador had emergency landing due to mechanical problems; September 1995, Sea King had emergency landing due to mechanical problems; August 1996, three Sea Kings grounded due to cracks in tail section; January 1997, Labrador crashed in Georgia Strait; October 1998, Labrador crash killed six; February 1999, Sea King in trouble due to bad main rotorhead; March 1999, Labrador adrift on lake due to losing both engines; March 1999, Sea King had emergency landing due to electrical systems; May 1999, Sea King makes forced landing due to leak in hydraulic system.
There is one more date of note. On June 26, 1986 the Treasury Board began the process of replacing the Sea Kings. Almost 13 years have passed since then, 13 years.
The Liberal government turned our forces helicopters into hell-copters when in June or July of 1995 the cabinet chose to delay the purchase of the replacement helicopters. It was a cheap political decision at the time but has become costly and poses serious issues in terms of the safety of Canadian lives.
These mechanical albatrosses may have led to the unnecessary deaths of Canadians and continue to present safety hazards and risk to life. I say unnecessary because the Liberal government made a very specific decision to delay the purchase of the helicopters.
It is not as if the minister and his government did not know of the problems. Headlines have screamed out the following news to Canadians for some time: Labradors unable to join rescue; helicopters grounded again; aging helicopters risk lives; faulty chopper delays recovery of 11-year old; helicopter malfunctioned days before crash; helicopter kills two veteran firefighters; the Liberals' chopper whopper; Sea Kings a threat; Sea King makes emergency landing.
The government may respond with platitudes about taking time to make sure the right choice is made, care for fiscal responsibility, that plans are proceeding well and the need to ensure the finished product is safe. Canadians are sick and tired of excuses.
The government must answer three questions. First, what specific short term alternatives has the government explored, including short term leases until the new helicopters are operational? Second, what specific efforts has the government made to speed up the procurement process and why exactly have these efforts failed? Third, what month will the replacement helicopters be operational?
A failure on behalf of the Liberal government to openly, honestly and completely answer these three questions is a gross betrayal not of me but of the families and communities who have lost loved ones, a betrayal of Canadian forces personnel who have no alternative but to continue to use these aging helicopters, a betrayal of all Canadians and a betrayal of good government.
I express my gratitude for all Canadian forces personnel who will bear the brunt of the Liberal government's mismanagement of the issue. They are the heroes in this tragedy of errors wrought by the government.