Debates of May 16th, 2016

National Defence—Main Estimates, 2016-17

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Madam Chair, indeed, many of these conversations about national defence need to be held in private. I fully understand that.

I want to get back to the budget and budget cuts. We do not know whether there are any budget cuts. Our colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, gave a brilliant presentation. As for the $3.7 billion—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

I hear you, I am a Conservative, I am a slow learner.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Order. I remind the member that he must address his questions to the Chair.

I ask members on the government side to show some respect and to let members ask their questions.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Madam Chair, we are told that $3.7 billion was deferred. Then we learned from the Ottawa Citizen that the Arctic offshore patrol ship project was cut by $173 million, the CF-18 program was cut by $109 million, the Cyclone helicopter project was cut by $90 million, the program to modernize our Halifax-class frigates was cut by $71 million, and the integrated soldier system project was cut by $39.4 million.

Can the minister confirm those budget cuts?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, I have not given any direction with respect to any cuts. We are committed to these programs. When it comes to some of the programs, in cases where there has been greater efficiency, certain equipment has been purchased early. This is the complicated nature of some of the defence procurement. However, no cuts to these programs have been made.

In fact, we want to ensure that the Arctic patrol ships will be delivered as quickly as possible. For example, with respect to the Halifax frigate modernization program, there is only one frigate left. That is one procurement project that has gone very well.

All of these projects are on line to be delivered, but every one of them has certain challenges. We are working through those challenges so we can speed up the process. However, we have to do it in such a manner to ensure that when we do have the equipment delivered, it will be done well. The TAPV is one example where something was delivered and it needed to be improved. In fact, that work was done under warranty, and now that project is back on track.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Madam Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to the Department of National Defence main estimates for 2016-17.

I want to take up a point that has been made by our hon. minister on previous occasions. He has said that the most sophisticated and important weapons system that the Canadian Armed Forces has are the men and women wearing the uniform. I could not agree more. As the mother of two sons currently serving, I may, however, be a bit biased.

The members of the Canadian Armed Forces are among the finest citizens. They are men and women who have volunteered for a life of service, who have taken an oath of allegiance to our Queen and her descendants, and who have sworn to protect their country and its citizens, even if it costs them their lives.

We have seen ample demonstration of their commitment to this ideal over the past several years. The decade-long mission in Afghanistan reminded all Canadians that service members undertook great sacrifice, risking injury or even death in defence of our interests around the world. Too many members of the Canadian military lost their lives as a result of the operations in Afghanistan. As we saw following the death of Sergeant Andrew Doiron last year, public support for our men and women in uniform has not diminished. While I sincerely hope to never have to see again the sight of so many ordinary Canadians lining the Highway of Heroes paying their respects to our fallen brothers and sisters, it is truly moving.

Our military members also stand on guard to protect us at home, whether it is to help Canadians in distress, as we are seeing most recently in northern Alberta, or as part of their daily duties. The men and women who make up the Canadian Armed Forces are our most valuable asset.

The military's focus on excellence begins rather appropriately at the beginning, from the moment its members are first recruited. Canadians can be proud that their military is one of the most well-educated and well-trained forces in the world.

Military training is extremely difficult. It is designed and conducted in such a way that it will produce the best possible results in conditions that are particularly difficult and dynamic. Soldiers receive professional training, and the teaching standards are very high, especially for officers. There will be an emphasis on improving training for army reservists in light of the Auditor General's recent report. They are an integral part of many communities in Canada.

These citizen soldiers give up their evenings and weekends in order to train. Despite the challenges they face because of their part-time service, many reservists have served their country with distinction during operations at home and abroad. They have fought and shed their blood right alongside regular forces members, and they deserve our support.

The minister indicated that he fully supported the recommendations made by the Auditor General to improve recruitment, retention, and training. Furthermore, the maximum size of the primary reserve will increase.

Pay and benefits have been reviewed, and training and development opportunities will be improved. I know the Minister of National Defence really wants to resolve this issue, since he himself is a former reservist.

Canadians can be proud of how their armed forces reflect their country. Our armed forces work in both official languages and bilingualism is a condition for promotion to senior positions. We have an ethnically diverse army that does not discriminate on the ground of sexual orientation and that supports soldiers wishing to undergo gender reassignment.

I see that the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jonathan Vance, recently promised to increase the representation of women in the army by 1% per year for the next 10 years.

If we look at the commanding officers of all ranks within the Canadian Armed Forces, we see people of both genders, of every race and belief, who serve proudly. This diversity is a source of strength and that is what makes our army more effective.

We certainly learned that in Afghanistan, where our integrated and incomparable forces were better able to interact with the communities and earn the trust of the locals, while also benefiting from the valuable knowledge of the women and children.

Increasing integrated forces within the Canadian Armed Forces came with its own set of challenges, including the problem of sexual misconduct, a scourge in Canada and around the world. The Chief of the Defence Staff made it an institutional priority, accepting the 10 recommendations in the 2015 report by Marie Deschamps, a former Supreme Court of Canada justice. The launch of operation Honour sought to eliminate inappropriate and harmful sexual behaviour within the Canadian Armed Forces. This translated into greater vigilance and more diligence, as well as improved support for victims, including the creation of the first sexual misconduct response centre, the drafting of more modern policies, and better training for all members.

All these measures are funded by allocations in the main estimates. The purpose is clear, namely to ensure a professional and respectful environment for all members of the Canadian Armed Forces, who so generously protect our country.

I will touch briefly on one last matter related to military personnel: the care given to ill and injured members. The Canadian Armed Forces maintains its own world-class health care system for its members and provides supports to their families as well. All told, more than $1.2 billion in the main estimates will go toward the care, morale, and well-being of our men and women in uniform. The risk of injury, whether mental or physical, can never be completely eliminated for military operations. The health professionals of the Canadian Armed Forces are dedicated to ensuring members receive the best possible treatment when they need it.

We ask much of our men and women in uniform and of their families. We ask them to defend their country, to serve for long periods in far-flung regions of the globe away from their families, and if necessary, to put their lives on the line. We ask much of our men and women in uniform and we owe them much in return. As we review these main estimates, let us keep that fact in mind.

I would like to ask the minister if he could elaborate. In his mandate letter, there was mention of developing a suicide prevention strategy. As part of a family of active members of the Canadian Armed Forces, this is an issue that, as one can imagine, is of great concern to me and many Canadians watching tonight. I ask the minister if he could provide an update on the strategy to develop a suicide prevention initiative.

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, I would like to thank the hon. member for her moving words. It definitely puts into perspective everything we do here.

This is probably one of the most important aspects of what we do, the challenges that our men and women face. They face certain challenges. We train them physically, but the mental side is more challenging. I am working very closely with the associate minister, who is also the Minister of Veterans Affairs, on a strategy for mental health.

For the military personnel health care system there will be $696 million, but it is not the dollars that matter. It is the strategy that we will be creating and I will announce that as time goes on.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Madam Chair, we have heard in the past little while about sexual misconduct in the military, a very serious situation. Could the minister elaborate on how much money in the main estimates is devoted to the sexual misconduct response centre that was mentioned in the Deschamps report? Could he tell us if the centre is actually functioning at this time, and when we could possibly receive an update on this?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, the money allocated to the confidential sexual misconduct response centre is $2.2 million.

Much more work is also being done through the chain of command beyond the centre because this type of behaviour needs to be completely eradicated from the Canadian Armed Forces. Of the 246 individuals who have contacted the centre, 156 identified themselves as members of the force and 34 made contact in regard to sexual assault. Twenty sexual misconduct investigations have been started by the NIS.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Madam Chair, we know that when members cannot continue to serve or choose to take off their uniform to return to civilian life, they face additional challenges in this regard. Could the minister tell us what money in the main estimates is focused on helping these members transition to civilian life?

Also, could the minister tell us how the government plans to honour its commitment to our brave women and men, including our reservists, after they have completed their service?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, as it is in my mandate letter to work with the associate minister as part of the transition from service member to veteran, we are working on a plan. We have identified in this budget $10.2 million for the transition from military life to civilian life. We do need to make it easier for a member to get into civilian life because it does pose considerable challenges.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Madam Chair, we have heard a lot about the stress that our brave women and men are under when serving. We have heard a lot about PTSD. We know a lot more work needs to be done in this regard. Could the minister update the House on what he is doing to prevent and treat operational stress injuries, or PTSD, among our members?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, currently there are over 400 full-time mental health workers available to Canadian Armed Forces members and more are being hired.

In addition, we are making sure that as members go on operations, they come back and get post-deployment mental health training, which is called decompression. Many aspects need to be done. We also need to understand there is a uniqueness to each one. We are working very hard to address this issue.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Madam Chair, as a parent I am concerned about force protection measures taken to protect our members across Canada both on bases and at recruitment centres. Could the minister elaborate on what is being done to keep them safe?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, the threats to our members and our bases are constantly assessed. The Chief of the Defence Staff and I have had discussions on this. If something does change, he notifies me. However, I can assure all committee members here that we take this extremely seriously. However, the actual measures always remain confidential for obvious reasons.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Madam Chair, the last Liberal budget was a spending spree. There was something for everyone. It was just like an all-you-can-eat buffet. However, one important department was forgotten. As an expert from the Canadian Global Affairs Institute said, this budget was like an episode of Oprah where everybody in the audience gets a car, except the Department of Defence. The Department of Defence had to go home on a scooter. That is what we heard tonight: $3.7 billion that will not be seen for years. If they are not getting the money now, they are seeing a cut.

As we know, there are threats facing Canada. There are terrorist threats, climate change, and the opening of the Northwest Passage.

My question for the minister is about the naval strategy and the ships that are currently being built in Halifax, namely, the Arctic offshore patrol ships.

Minister, my first question is regarding the Arctic offshore patrol ships. Why are you making a cut of $173 million to the ships that are being built in Halifax right now? These ships are important to maintaining the sovereignty of Canada in the Arctic. Why are you cutting these important projects?

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I would remind the member to address his questions to the Chair.

The hon. Minister of National Defence.

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, I would like to report to the hon. member that those ships are currently being built. We are on track for building those five ships and potentially having a sixth one as well. It is budgeted for $3.5 billion, which also includes infrastructure of the northern port, the dock repairs, and jetty replacement. However, I can assure the member that our government is fully committed to making sure those ships get built.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Madam Chair, can the minister inform us when the first ship will be ready and when the program will be completed?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, the first ship is expected for 2018. I do not have the exact date when they will be considered fully capable. There is a lot of training that is going to be done. However, the first ship is expected in 2018.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Madam Chair, can the minister inform us how much money will be invested in these Arctic offshore patrol ships in the current fiscal year?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, the budget for the overall program is $3.5 billion, and the budget is $424 million for this year.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Madam Chair, it is a first-time program that is extremely important for our Canadian navy.

Another program that is important is the restoration and modernization of our Halifax-class frigates. We had a major program in place to modernize these frigates and it was going well. The Fredericton was one of the first frigates to be modernized. It was used in Operation Reassurance as part of the measures taken by the Canadian Forces in Ukraine.

Why is the government threatening the program to modernize the Halifax-class frigates by making a $71.1-million cut?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, I think we can both agree on the importance of this program. In fact, there is only one ship that is left to be modernized, and it is being worked on now. This program is actually on track and working well. It should be delivered quickly.

I got to visit one of the ships in operation. I visited one in Esquimalt. I am happy to say now that there is one left. It is being worked on and will be delivered shortly.