Mr. Speaker, I am sure that everyone in the House will join me in welcoming one of NATO's key maritime reaction forces, the Standing Naval Force Atlantic, which recently sailed into Halifax Harbour.
Since April 1999, Rear Admiral David Morse had commanded this force which currently includes ships from seven nations.
Our destroyers, HMCS Iroquois and HMCS Athabaskan , each with one Sea King aboard, are alternately serving as Rear Admiral Morse's flagships during a busy year of operations.
In the summer of 1999, STANAVFORLANT was deployed to the Adriatic Sea at the height of the Kosovo crisis in support of NATO's operational allied force.
As the command of STANAVFORLANT rotates to the United States this Friday and our frigate, HMCS Fredericton , assumes its role as Canada's STANAVFORLANT representative, let us express our gratitude and thanks to our sailors and aircrew for their outstanding service.