Mr. Speaker, the final edition of the Fraser report on change in the Canadian Forces was issued yesterday.
I am disappointed that such a prestigious committee chairman was mandated not to look at the real problems in the military but to tinker with a decaying force structure. The result is a report that is irrelevant and out of touch.
Why did the government shackle this committee? Though I applaud the notion of monitoring change in our military, this report will not lead to any of the changes that are desperately needed to save the Canadian Forces from oblivion.
The Fraser report does not even identify the two fundamental problems that are destroying our military: chronic underfunding and demilitarization.
For decades social experimentation has impaired combat capability. The government has treated military personnel as civilians in uniform. This report is about changing oil when the engine requires a complete overhaul.