Madam Speaker, maritime helicopters are essential to the mission of the Canadian forces.
It is our duty to ensure that the Canadian forces possess the equipment they require to accomplish their mission, both in Canada and abroad.
In his 1994 white paper, the minister made a commitment to replace the Sea Kings, and this is an essential project for the Minister of National Defence. On numerous occasions, the minister has expressed his desire to implement a strategy involving the acquisition of maritime helicopters in the near future. In fact, the minister has said he hoped to make an announcement on this issue in the current year.
Department officials are currently reviewing a draft of the requirements established for maritime helicopters. The statement of operational requirements, which is more or less the basis of the project, is undergoing several revisions and rewriting, and is the object of a close review at several levels within the department.
It is on the basis of that document that we will buy several millions of dollars worth of very complex military equipment. Therefore, it is critical that we do what is necessary to ensure the process is implemented properly from the beginning.
It is also important that the industry, Canadians and any other person interested in this issue can read and understand the statement of requirements that will be released. However, more importantly, the new maritime helicopter must meet Canadians forces' policy requirements and operational requirements. This is a must, and there will be no compromise on this point.
We will do our utmost to ensure the Sea Kings remain in service until the arrival of the new maritime helicopter.
The recent minor problems were dealt with, and we will do what it takes to make sure our aircraft are safe to fly.
The Sea Kings will be upgraded if need be, and I have no doubt we will be able to carry out our mission with the equipment currently available to the Canadian armed forces. pluriel