Mr. Speaker, unlike the minister, Canadians are well aware of the necessity to replace our military's over-age, undependable, unarmoured Iltis.
Unfortunately, the level of political interference involved with its replacement has left only one supplier willing to sell its vehicle to the government. Therefore the Minister of National Defence has not had the opportunity to select the best vehicle for our military.
I am asking about the replacements, not about what is going on at the moment in Afghanistan. Given this, will he commit to ensuring that these new utility vehicles have enough armour to adequately protect our troops from mines right now?