Mr. Speaker, the member raised the issue of the Sea Kings, as did the prior speaker. It is not helpful to our military personnel who fly the Sea Kings or to their families to continue to talk about them in that manner.
The member knows the Sea Kings have been totally retrofitted. He knows the U.S. has many Sea Kings it still uses. They are used for the president of the United States of America. When we see pictures of the helicopter landing at the White House, that is a Sea King. They can fly safely when they are properly maintained.
The member did not comment on the last part of the motion which calls for a joint foreign affairs-national defence committee to hold “frequent meetings with ministers and officials”. The House did so during the gulf war but this is quite a different matter. The current war may go on for an extended period of time, maybe even years.
Would the member have a problem with frequent meetings of a couple of standing committees on a matter which may not evolve as quickly as the gulf war?