Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Richmond Hill.
It is a week since Remembrance Day when our grateful nation gathered in places where it was impossible not to be moved by the sacrifice of our veterans.
My first job is to pay tribute to all those who served in the Second World War, Korean War, Cold War, on peacekeeping missions, the Gulf War and to those who served in the RCMP. I understand that a veteran is a veteran is a veteran.
I also pay tribute to all our men and women who are now serving in Afghanistan and I honour the contributions of all our heroes and their families.
I also know that all members of the House recognize and anguish about the enormous sacrifices that military members, veterans and their families have made to keep Canada safe and secure. That is why we must never send them into harms way unless it is absolutely necessary, unless there is a clear mission with the right strategy, unless they have the necessary care, treatment and support when they come home.
Therefore, we must guarantee the right plane for the right mission for the right price. That means identifying defence priorities and foreign mission requirements new fighter jets must be able to support. That means defining roles, capabilities and operational performance requirements new fighter jets must meet to support future domestic and international priorities and missions.
The items to consider are these. Is the stealth aircraft necessary for its main role of protecting Canadian airspace? There might be possible development delays and cost overruns. Other planes, namely the Super Hornet and the Rafale, can fulfill Canada's requirements. Will maintenance contracts be signed in advance of purchase before all bargaining power is lost? Will there be a full accounting of life cycle costs?
Following normal procurement procedures in their normal sequence, namely identifying the mission for a new aircraft, producing a statement of technical requirements and holding a competition to see who can meet the requirements, can only lead to the best value and deal for the air force, aerospace and other industries in Canada and Canadian taxpayers.
In fact, the former head of defence procurement, Alan Williams, confirmed that an open and transparent competition would ensure the best equipment for our military, maximize high-quality job creation for Canadian industry and drive down the price by an estimated 20%, some $3.2 billion.
It is fundamentally important that Canadians understand that there would be no gap in fighter capability as there are nine years left through government investment and there would be no penalty for cancelling the current deal.
In considering any deal for new jets, we must factor in life cycle costs. Sadly and tragically, we do not do this for our most important asset, our people.
Roughly 3,500 pages of leaked documents dating back to 2006, obtained by The Canadian Press, showed bureaucrats were projecting savings of $40 million per year within six years of the charter being enacted.
On Remembrance Day, we promised to remember the fallen, the battles that define generations, our humanity during difficult circumstances, during peacekeeping missions and the generations serving today. What we owe our men and women who have put on the uniform is to honour our sacred trust and to be there for them when they come home.
That means working to improve their pay and benefits so they feel secure, knowing their families will be looked after. That means working to improve care for wounded warriors, especially those with post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, particularly in light of new research linking each to dementia.
For the first time in over 100 years, veterans who put their lives on the line for Canada and who accepted unequivocally the chain of command peacefully protested across Canada. There were slogans, including, “Billions for jets; pennies for vets”.
I must therefore ask this. Would saving 20% by having an open competition for jets, what $3 billion would have meant for our veterans: perhaps a comprehensive review of Veterans Affairs Canada and its procedures; perhaps a comprehensive review of the new veterans charter with real consultation with veterans across the country so they would feel engaged and would have some control over their own future, their destiny; perhaps real action on the lump sum payment, one of the most contentious issues that veterans and their families and that we have called on the government to address. Instead of taking immediate genuine action, the government simply divided the pie differently, offering one lump sum payment for the same amount spread over months or years.
There is no actual change in the numbers. The average payout is only $40,000. Whether it is spread out over two years, five years or ten years, it is inadequate, for example, for homeless veterans, veterans in Cockrell House in Victoria, the first homeless shelter for veterans who are courageously fighting to regain their lives. Luke Carmichael served 19 years in the military, only to escape to the bush of Vancouver Island, where he lived for 10 years, 7 years in a tent, 3 years in a trailer someone gave him. More than 800 food hampers will be delivered to needy veterans and their families in Calgary alone this year.
One veteran told me that because Veterans Affairs Canada initially withheld a compensatory award, he ended up homeless. Another veteran was sent a cheque for $40,000, only to have $20,000 reclaimed, causing him to lose his home and to get into difficulty with revenue, with alcohol, with drugs and with losing his family.
What would $3 billion have meant to protecting the health and well-being of our Canadian Forces and our veterans through electronic health records, first promised in 2008, but not available until March 2012?
What would $3 billion, or 20%, have meant to post-traumatic stress disorder, from providing education and training throughout members' time in the forces to ensuring timely treatment across the country with enough clinicians? Thirty-two psychiatrists for 65,000 Canadian Forces members, a ratio of .00049, is an appalling statistic, masking it by claiming mental health practitioners, mental health workers, nurses, chaplains, providing a ratio of 1:186 hides the lack of help.
What about tracking people when they leave the forces? As one veteran said to me, “telling me my appointment is in one month, when I've got two barrels loaded, doesn't really do a damned thing, does it?”
While travelling across the country last week, we heard from another man who asked for a private meeting. He explained that there were a lot of suffering veterans out there who VAC knew about, and even more out there about whom no one knew. They were not followed. He told us of three young veterans who lost their spouses and who died alone suffering from PTSD. “Let us keep them alive”, he said.
Finally, many veterans are struggling. Some battle multiple demons such as alcohol, drugs, PTSD—