Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely shameful for the member to stand in his place and make such outlandish statements to the Canadian public. When he was a member of the opposition, he used to raise concerns about our young men and women in the military and their substandard housing, some of which is in his own riding. Now he stands over there and tries to pretend that the government he decided to join belatedly so he could get his exalted position is actually doing enough for our military. It is absolutely shameful and he should be ashamed of himself.
The minister at the time stated, “All hands are safe and handling the accident very well”. Either he was getting this information or he was misinforming the House and, by extension, the people of Canada.
Let us be very clear about this. The navy bought these subs because they were the best it could afford and because the government would not give it adequate resources. That is the reason it bought them. He pretends to indicate that this is something the navy willingly did. It was only because that is all it could afford.