Debates of May 15th, 2019

Department of National Defence—Main Estimates, 2019-20

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

Mr. Chair, it is very important to note here that when an investigation by police is launched, we make sure that we maintain independence. That is exactly what has happened here, confirmed by the prosecution and by defence, including through the judicial process.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Chair, when will the minister publicly acknowledge the former vice-chief of the defence staff's innocence and reinstate him as the vice-chief of the defence staff?

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

Mr. Chair, in our democracy it is our courts that make the decision. The minister of national defence has the responsibility so that the women and men in the Canadian Armed Forces have all the tools necessary.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Chair, in actual fact, QR&O number 101.09(6) states that once the reason for the suspension of the military member is no longer valid, he or she will be reinstated to his or her former position. Therefore, I would like a comment from the minister on why the former vice-chief of the defence staff has not been reinstated to his position.

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

Mr. Chair, as I have stated many times before, the chief of the defence staff is responsible for all the personnel in the Canadian Armed Forces. The chief of the defence staff will meet with Admiral Norman to talk about the next steps, and the decision will be made.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Chair, if the chief of the defence staff reports to the Minister of National Defence, is the Minister of National Defence not accountable to every citizen and every member in uniform to ensure that he carries out his duties in accordance with the Queen's Regulations and Orders?

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

Mr. Chair, in accordance with the National Defence Act, we respect the chief of the defence staff's authority that has been given to this position. The chief of the defence staff has the responsibility for administration and command of the Canadian Armed Forces. That is what I respect, and that military advice on how our system works is very important to making sure we function as a government and as a country so that we can respect our Canadian Armed Forces. Doing anything less is not wise.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Chair, this is probably the most fundamental point of this entire conversation.

Our democracy is based on the fact that a standing army is accountable to the elected official so that Canadians can trust that our military is not running rogue and is totally accountable to what the will of citizens has decided. That is why the National Defence Act has the chief of the defence staff reporting directly to the minister of national defence.

If the Minister of National Defence is not going to assume his responsibility for ensuring that the chief of the defence staff behaves in accordance with the National Defence Act, then I would like to understand from the minister what precisely he thinks his role is.

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

Mr. Chair, I completely disagree with the insinuations that the member is making.

Our Canadian Armed Forces are extremely professional. I have respect for the chief of the defence staff position as the authority that has been given by the National Defence Act for the chief of the defence staff. No, our military does not run rogue. Our chief of the defence staff and all the personnel work in the highest professional manner. We see it in domestic operations; we see it in international operations. I have faith in the chief of the defence staff to carry out his duties.

I will be honest; it is hurtful to hear this type of talk and insinuation that the military is running rogue, considering the tremendous work our women and men do for us not only in Canada but around the world.

[Yves Robillard, Liberal, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Chair, I would like to contribute to today's debate by spending 10 minutes talking about what our men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces do on behalf of Canadians here at home.

The government's primary obligation is to ensure the safety of Canadians. Whether that means helping communities during natural disasters, conducting search and rescue operations, or asserting Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic, the Canadian Armed Forces are ready to help. Throughout these operations, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces are responsible stewards of the environment.

Earlier this month, we saw how the Canadian Armed Forces help communities from one end of the country to the other. When Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick were hit by floods and the rising waters put people's homes at risk and threatened essential infrastructure, the provinces asked the Canadian Armed Forces for help. More than 2,000 sailors, soldiers, and airmen and airwomen answered the call, as they have done so many times.

In 2018 alone, the Canadian Armed Forces helped their provincial partners handle six natural disasters, including flooding, forest fires and winter storms. Over the past decade, the role of the Armed Forces in national responses to disasters has grown considerably.

If they are to continue helping Canadians in need, they must have the right funding, the right personnel and the right equipment. As we have seen on multiple occasions, the Conservatives would sooner play petty politics and repeatedly vote against funding for our department and our operations, which protect Canadians in times of crisis.

Military involvement during the recent flooding attracted a lot of media attention, and rightly so. The search and rescue operations that take place from coast to coast to coast are not so well known. Search and rescue teams are ready to respond 24/7. They cover over 18 million square kilometres of land and sea.

This year alone, the Canadian Armed Forces have deployed search and rescue resources in response to 222 emergencies. The armed forces have worked with the Canadian Coast Guard to coordinate over 1,600 operations. That should give everyone some idea of the large-scale partnerships that help keep Canadians safe.

The armed forces, the Coast Guard, the RCMP, local police, first responders and hundreds of volunteer organizations all have an important role to play. Canadians can be proud of how well they work together.

Our men and women in uniform are ready to offer their help in times of crisis. They work hard to prevent disasters, when possible, and to reduce the impact on Canadians.

Every winter, artillery members of the Canadian Armed Forces work with Parks Canada to release avalanches in a controlled manner along Rogers Pass in British Columbia. Before this operation was put in place, avalanches caused a lot of death and destruction. Rogers Pass has more than 130 avalanche paths that cross the Trans-Canada Highway. It has the highest avalanche rating of any major road in North America.

For decades, the Canadian Armed Forces and Parks Canada have been working together to keep the pass and the Trans-Canada Highway open and safe. Every year, the Canadian Armed Forces train with municipal, provincial and territorial partners so that everyone can respond quickly and effectively in case of an emergency.

For example, last year, as part of Operation Nanook, approximately 270 members of the Canadian Armed Forces participated in a major air disaster exercise in Yellowknife. They worked with the government, NGOs and public sector partners to ensure that everyone learned how to work together in case of an emergency in the Arctic.

The exercises, patrols and community activities that take place all year long as part of Operation Nanook are also part of how we affirm Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic. The Canadian Rangers support many of these activities, as the eyes and ears of the armed forces in the North.

All these operations, including disaster response, search and rescue and sovereignty operations, are affected to varying degrees by a common factor: climate change.

As weather conditions change, Canada will experience more violent storms and natural catastrophes. As the polar ice cap recedes, the Arctic is more accessible to navigation, tourism and scientific research. This means that there are more people, ships and planes passing through the Arctic than in the past.

Members can rest assured that military planners are diligently analyzing these trends. Proactive, detailed and exhaustive planning is an integral part of the work ethic of the Canadian Armed Forces. That is how they operate.

As set out in Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, concerns related to climate change have an impact on planning, procurement and operations. The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces are helping minimize their environmental impact. Since 2017, the Department of National Defence has invested more than $165 million in Canadian Armed Forces infrastructure projects designed to reduce its carbon footprint.

Canadian Armed Forces members need modern, environmentally friendly facilities where they can work and train. Last year alone, the department built and restored armouries in Halifax, Saint-Hubert and Sainte-Foy.

All new construction projects and major repair projects must meet industry standards for high-performance buildings, such as LEED silver certification or the equivalent.

These types of investments have a significant impact. The Department of National Defence reduced greenhouse gas emissions from its buildings and commercial fleet by 30% compared to 2005 levels. The department is on track to reduce its emissions by 40% by 2030 and meeting a target of 80% by 2050.

Since 2018, the Department of National Defence has also been using energy-performance contracts to improve energy efficiency and grant four new contracts to bases and wings across Canada.

The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces have been making progress on reducing their defence activities' ecological impact and they will continue to act as stewards of Canada's land, air and sea resources.

Every day Canadian sailors, soldiers and air personnel do exemplary work in this country. We count on their professionalism to protect our territory and keep our country safe. When mother nature wreaks havoc on Canadian communities, we know they will be there, ready to help and willing to face whatever may come their way. It is their duty to defend us, and it is our duty to ensure they have the resources they need to do their job right, despite the Conservatives' attempts to cut defence funding through their votes and despite their decade of budget cuts.

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member has five minutes to ask questions.

[Yves Robillard, Liberal, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Chair, the Canadian Armed Forces offer people unique opportunities to challenge themselves and develop skills that will serve them well their whole lives.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence inform the House how the government is partnering with communities to support our reservists and allow them to serve at home and abroad without the stress of repercussions in their full-time civilian roles?

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague from Marc-Aurèle-Fortin for his excellent work on the Standing Committee on National Defence. It is a pleasure to work with him.

We do indeed care about the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, which is why we passed new legislation to safeguard their jobs and training leave.

This year I had the opportunity to go to New Brunswick to support reservists and acknowledge the work of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council. The council helps businesses and reservists work together and helps our reservists continue to serve their country in the Canadian Armed Forces all while retaining their job security. It is an excellent program. The council is doing good work to support reservists and members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

[Yves Robillard, Liberal, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Chair, military families are the strength behind the uniform and are crucial to the success of our military. As members of Parliament, we often hear about the challenges of living in a military family. We hear stories and know that deployments and postings within the country are difficult.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence tell us about what our government is doing as part of the seamless Canada initiative and about the support we provide to military families?

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Chair, we have a clear objective when it comes to members of the Canadian Armed Forces, and that is to help the transition of military members' families. It is not always easy to move when assigned to another military base. Therefore, we must ensure that families have the support they need. We have been investing $6 million a year to better support these families when a member is deployed or has to spend time away.

We also invested $147 million to expand access to military family resource centres, which support families of veterans who are released for medical reasons. I had the opportunity to visit these family resource centres. They do a great job of helping with this transition, in particular by helping families find a doctor, day care or school in their new community.

It is very important to support our military members and their families in this transition so that their time working in the Canadian Armed Forces is as painless as possible.

[Yves Robillard, Liberal, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Chair, can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence tell us about national defence spending or operations?

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Chair, as we have said over and over this evening, our defence policy is at the core of everything we do, as are our men and women in uniform. That is why we made a commitment to increase spending by more than 70% over the next 10 years through our policy, “Strong, Secure, Engaged”. That translates to an increase of $32 billion.

We are not ashamed of these investments. After years of cuts under the former Conservative government, the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces deserve these investments. We are going to give them everything they need to do their jobs here and abroad, on all the missions we carry out around the world. We will never compromise their safety either. We will support them throughout their careers in the Canadian Armed Forces.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Chair, was the minister involved in the process of reviewing and editing, intimidating the Auditor General's fall 2018 report on fighter jets?

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

Mr. Chair, I completely disagree with the member's insinuation. The Auditor General is completely independent of us.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Chair, did the minister approve of the suggested changes to the Auditor General's report on fighter jets?

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

Mr. Chair, no.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Chair, did anyone in the minister's office approve the request to the Office of the Auditor General to remove the recommendation that Canada not purchase the used Australian F-18s?

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

Mr. Chair, me and my office are completely independent of the Auditor General.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Chair, was any direction from the PMO given to the minister or his staff regarding the deletion of the recommendation not to purchase the Australian F-18s?

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

Mr. Chair, as I stated, the Auditor General is completely independent of us.