Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today to speak in support of a matter of great importance to the men and women of the Canadian armed forces and the Canadian armed forces reserve, and a matter that should be of great importance, not only to the Parliament of Canada but to all Canadians.
At its heart, the legislation has the noble purpose of improving the quality of life for those who serve in our military. As such, it should not come as a surprise to learn that it has the support of members on both sides of the House.
It goes without saying, however, that the Canadian armed forces and the Canadian armed forces reserve personnel are among our most courageous citizens. They devote the best years of their lives, at great risk, to the protection of this country and its people.
In return, we owe them a duty of care. That duty of care extends to ensuring that they are properly equipped and appropriately compensated for the extraordinary service they offer the people of Canada. I also would say, with the peacekeeping missions that Canadian soldiers have served in the last 50 years, we should recognize the protection that they afford the people all around the world.
The Progressive Conservative Party has many disputes with the government with respect to the larger defence policy issues. There is no dispute at all, however, when it comes to the need to give our men and women in uniform the very best.
The modernization of the military and reserve pension schemes are things that are long overdue.
In the post-cold war world the Canadian military has undergone some very significant changes. Some of these changes speak directly to the demographics of those who are prepared to and those who continue to serve in uniform. The military pension scheme must be sufficiently flexible to reflect those changes and to ensure that our military men and women receive the very best pension possible.
Given the very rigorous and physical demands on our military personnel, the simple reality is that many in the service of the country are quite young. A pension scheme that reflects their youth must also recognize the various factors that can affect their length of service. I believe that both these important criteria are addressed in the legislation now before the House.
Moreover, we are in an age of the citizen soldier. The backbone of our military is now the militia. For too long this fact has not been appropriately recognized in the regulations affecting military pensions. I believe that aspect is also addressed in the legislation we are debating today.
Many of the changes proposed in the legislation speak to the need to revamp the administrative process that governs the military pension scheme.
All Canadians, especially our soldiers, sailors and airmen, deserve to receive the benefits they have earned without having to fight through red tape. After all, I think it is only proper that our soldiers, sailors and airmen, who do enough fighting for us, do not have to fight with us.
All this contributes to the creation of a military that is more competitive in recruiting the best and the brightest young Canadians.
This is, of course, a significant development given the difficulty the Canadian armed forces have experienced in the past in trying to increase recruitment levels.
International incidents, such as the September 11 attacks, can have a marked effect on recruitment efforts, as patriotic young Canadians make the commitment to help defend our country from possible terrorist attacks.
However, to sustain that level of recruitment and to retain those who have already joined, the military needs a pension scheme that is comparable to what is being offered in the private sector.
As members will know, the Canadian armed forces has suffered from the effects of manpower shortages. At a time when the operational tempo, the ratio of time spent by Canadian Forces personnel in deployed missions, increased dramatically, the number of CF personnel was in decline.
When demand exceeds supply, the end result is a military that is stretched far too thin. Our military men and women end up serving in longer rotations on a more frequent basis. This simply means that they have less time at home, less time to rest, less time to train and more time in the field. It also means that they have less time with their families. That is not a recipe for success. In the long run, and even in the short term, that is a recipe for disaster.
Our military has endured a very difficult period in these last 10 years. Cuts to defence spending have weakened our military but not its resolve. Recently the defence publication Jane's Defence Weekly wrote that these spending cuts have caused “irreparable damage” to our military. Irreparable damage: We can only hope that this is not the case.
Where there is no doubt is that we need the military to have an increased budget that remains stable for a definite period of time. Only stable funding at a level sufficient to meet our defence needs will allow our military to make the capital purchases it needs.
There is also a need to make the investment in human resources and human capital. That is what we are doing today, albeit indirectly. There is a tendency to think of our army, navy and air force in terms of tanks, ships and airplanes. The reality is, it is about soldiers, sailors and airmen. For that reason, modernizing the pension scheme for the men and women who are at the core of our national defence is really an investment in our national security.
My good friend the hon. member for Saint John has often said that when it comes to the military we should put politics aside. Once we have ascertained what course of action is in the best interests of our military we should not let our political differences stand in the way of progress.
It is for that reason, and with this sentiment in mind, that today I am pleased we are taking this step toward ensuring that the military has a pension scheme that works and that the legislation presented here for our consideration has as its goal making the Canadian Forces pension scheme more accessible and efficient. After all, when their time in the military is over, our national heroes deserve a hero's welcome at home and a place to rest.