Debates of May 15th, 2019

Department of National Defence—Main Estimates, 2019-20

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

Mr. Chair, I can understand why Conservatives are talking about costs, because the previous government cut them.

We are committed to investing in our capability and moving the procurement process forward as quickly as possible so we can have this permanent capability for our navy.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Chair, in committee, the procurement people said that to get that answer, we would have to go to defence. Now we see its answer. When will the first joint supply ship be finished?

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

Mr. Chair, we are making changes to the process. In fact, we started cutting the early blocks on that ship. We will find every opportunity to move that process along as quickly as possible so this capability can be delivered for our navy, something that was lost under the previous government.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Chair, the minister stated previously that changing the order would move up the ship two years. When will this first ship be ready? Obviously, if he knows that it is moved up by two years, he must know the date the ship will be ready. When will it be ready?

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

Mr. Chair, I was talking about the surface combatant. The decision we made to purchase its design saved us two years on its procurement. We have also made changes to the joint supply ship procurement regarding the early blocks. We expect it to be delivered by 2022.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Chair, interestingly, procurement said that it would be 2023-24.

When will the second JSS be ready?

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

Mr. Chair, I do not have on hand the date the second ship will be built. The most important piece is that this project is fully funded and it is being built. We will finally have this capability back in the navy.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Chair, how in the world does the defence minister not know when this vital second ship will be ready for our armed forces?

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

Mr. Chair, we have been working very diligently with the Minister of Procurement to ensure we can make the changes to the procurement process to move things forward. We are committed to ensuring we move this forward as quickly as possible. The most important piece is that this capability will be coming back to the navy.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Chair, will the Asterix be kept in service after the first ship and the second ship delivery?

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

Mr. Chair, the interim capability is providing good service for us now. The decision will be made in the future.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Chair, how many supply ships does the Royal Canadian Navy require?

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

Mr. Chair, two permanent joint supply ships are what the navy requires.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Chair, how can we maintain a two-coast navy if one is in retrofit and we only have two ships?

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

Mr. Chair, when it comes to military procurement, I take advice on the needs from the chief of the defence staff. Two permanent joint supply ships is what are needed, and that is exactly what we are delivering. This is what we had. The most important thing is making sure that we do not lose this capability, and that is what we are focused on.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Chair, when will the first combat ship be delivered?

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

Mr. Chair, I am very proud to say that we cut steel on the fourth Arctic and offshore patrol vessel two weeks ago, and the first AOPS will be delivered this summer.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Chair, I will repeat my question. When will the first combat ship be ready?

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

Mr. Chair, as I stated, the Arctic and offshore patrol vessel is a combat ship. It will be delivered by this summer.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Chair, when will the Type 26 new frigates being built at Irving after the AOPS be ready?

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

Mr. Chair, we are very proud to have signed the contract for the surface combatant, the largest procurement project in Canadian history. The most important part of it is that we have all the funds to procure all 15 ships, not nine ships, as the previous government left it.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Chair, I find it remarkable the Minister of National Defence does not have an answer for that.

The Liberal government has announced plans to rehabilitate our Victoria class submarines to keep them going until 2040, which will make them about 50 years old.

A retired navy commander stated, “You can modernize most things, but you can't modernize the hull, unless you build a new hull.” Why is the government endangering the lives of our submariners, when the subs themselves are at increased risk of failure?

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

Mr. Chair, our submarines play a very important role in our Arctic sovereignty and our security. Based on advice from the Canadian Armed Forces through the chief of the defence staff, that is the reason we are modernizing our submarines. I am very proud of the work they are doing. In fact, we had two of our submarines, one deployed in the Pacific Ocean and one in the Atlantic. That is the first time that has been done. I do not even know the last time it was actually deployed.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Chair, the minister does not know a lot of things, apparently.

Did the minister look at perhaps buying any used, rusty subs from Australia before committing to rehabilitate our subs?

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

Mr. Chair, unlike the previous government, which cut $2 billion from defence every single year, running our military at a deficit, we are actually investing $63 billion in addition to what the Conservatives had committed to. We have a plan that is fully funded and costed. I would like to see what they and their leader are going to be costing out in their defence plan.