Mr. Speaker, Canada's global influence continues to be diminished internationally because of the Prime Minister's lack of emphasis on our armed forces. We welcomed the news about our troops going to Haiti and now we find out that they were “prodding and begging” for basic equipment like gloves, boots and vests. There is a gap now between our expectations and our military capacity and it is hurting us internationally.
Has the Prime Minister allowed this gap to increase as a deliberate policy or simply because he is delinquent? Which one is it?