Mr. Chairman, that is just nonsense. I will not let the minister skate from the implication of my question. He was quite right when he implied that the previous government placed the order for the Coyote light armoured reconnaissance vehicles and yet he is taking credit for it in the introduction to his estimates.
Because there has been no new equipment acquisition under this government or under this minister, he has to reach back 10 years to a previous government, a government whose acquisition policies his party criticized, in order to take credit for any acquisition. It is absolutely absurd.
On page 2, in the third paragraph of the introductory remarks, he says that the government “continues to make strides in its efforts to modernize Canada's national security and defence capabilities”. He then lists eight initiatives launched by his department, but only one of these initiatives involves new equipment. In the second bullet point, he talks about modernized equipment, but again, the Coyote was ordered by a previous government while the Cormorant helicopters and the Victoria class submarines were ordered four years ago. I believe that the aircraft upgrades to the CF-18s and the Auroras have not even begun yet. He could address that. The only new major piece of equipment that is actually entering operational service right now is the LAV III, which we hear a lot about from him.
This is pretty thin gruel, is it not? Is this not the real reason that the minister has to refer to the Coyote and other purchases made several years ago: because there has been virtually no new equipment acquisition under the government?