Madam Speaker, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces endeavour to provide our men and women in uniform with access to state-of-the-art training facilities. Access to these facilities has a direct impact on the ability of the troops to carry out their missions and tasks. This training is operationally essential. It contributes to the safety and security of CF personnel operating in potentially hostile environments, such as Afghanistan where roughly 950 Canadian Forces trainers and support personnel are contributing to the NATO training mission.
The government is committed to implementing the Canada first defence strategy to ensure that the Canadian Forces have the people, equipment infrastructure and readiness necessary to defend Canada and Canadian interests now and well into the future. Canadians can take pride in having one of the most professional and best-trained militaries in the world.