Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman for raising this adjournment debate. I know how much of a concern this is to him and to all other members of the House.
I would like to remind my hon. colleague that our government and the rest of the House unanimously supported the opposition motion on this matter on March 9. The motion we supported sought to reinstate tax relief for Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed in Arifjan, Kuwait.
I would like to begin by reiterating what the minister and I have both said many times. Our government cares very much about our troops and has tremendous respect for the men and women who serve in the Canadian Armed Forces. They are highly trained and highly skilled and are the pride of all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. When they are deployed overseas, they represent Canada with professionalism and courage.
Members of the House are unanimous when it comes to their support for the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces. Hon. members agree that CAF personnel are entitled to allowances that reflect the conditions and risks that they are exposed to. Our commitment in this regard has not changed.
The Minister of National Defence himself was deployed many times when he was a soldier. He knows how important these allowances are, not only for our brave soldiers, but also for their families back at home. The well-being of our soldiers is a top priority for our government.
I would also remind my colleague that the minister has made personal commitments regarding risk assessment. He has asked the chief of the defence staff to look at our internal procedures and make recommendations regarding any changes that should be made. He has also asked the Department of National Defence to work with the other relevant departments and agencies to review this process. This review is under way, and our government will make decisions once it is completed.
As we await the results of this review, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the methodology currently used to assign risk levels. Risk levels assigned to any operation are constantly reviewed. Risk levels accurately reflect the actual conditions and risks that personnel are exposed to in a specific geographic location and on a specific operation. These levels change over time, as do the risks and conditions associated with soldiers' duties.
It is important to note that the committee that makes these decisions consists not only of civilian staff, but also of senior military officials. These individuals have led military operations and their experience has made them acutely aware of the sacrifices constantly being made by the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces.
These risk levels are established based on the analyses and advice of experts such as senior military officials, doctors, and intelligence advisors. Committee members do their best to properly assess the conditions and risks associated with each deployment. While waiting for General Vance's review, we should remember that the top priority is to ensure that our men and women in uniform are always honoured and duly compensated for the work they do.