Mr. Speaker, 40 years ago, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau launched a modernization project for the Canadian Armed Forces to acquire a new fighter jet, the F-18. Forty years later, the son of that prime minister, this week, says he is modernizing the Canadian Armed Forces with what? The F-18.
Not only are these F-18s used, they have been used in more operational theatres and flying over low-level oceans more than Canada. Therefore, Australia has used its jets harder than we have.
This is a Liberal pattern. We saw this with used submarines where billions were spent, and there is virtually no operational capability of the Victoria-class submarine. We saw this on my aircraft, the Sea King helicopter, which we are only replacing now because of politics.
I am hoping for Christmas that the veterans in the Liberal caucus will start standing up to the Prime Minister because at Christmas nothing says merry Christmas to the troops more than used kit.