Mr. Speaker, our thoughts and prayers are with all military families who have lost loved ones.
What transpired in this case is not acceptable. As soon as our government learned of this, the Minister of National Defence asked the Department of National Defence to respect the family's wishes and turn over the necessary documents to allow for an inquest by the Alberta government.
The minister will also be meeting with the defence ombudsman this week to discuss how the Department of National Defence can better respect the wishes of families in the board of inquiry's process. The minister has streamlined these boards of inquiry because military families who have lost their loved ones need and deserve closure.