Debates of May 15th, 2019

Department of National Defence—Main Estimates, 2019-20

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

Mr. Speaker, our men and women are definitely our absolute priority. We want to help them when they go through difficult times, especially when they experience mental health issues and other trauma.

In budget 2017, we invested $17.5 million in a centre focused on the prevention, assessment and treatment of PTSD and mental health issues among military members and veterans. We are also working closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs on the joint suicide prevention strategy, for example. Every family resource centre that I had the opportunity to visit, such as the one in Gagetown, New Brunswick, is doing an excellent job of supporting the everyday needs of our military members. These centres provide help if they are having family or health problems. As we know, our men and women in uniform often face dangerous and difficult situations. We will always be there to ensure their well-being and to support them as they go through difficult times during their years in the Canadian Armed Forces.

[Sven Spengemann, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Chair, last fall another Auditor General's report confirmed what Canadians already knew, which is that the Harper Conservatives mismanaged the jets file and misled Canadians for more than a decade. The report confirms the existence of a capability gap, which started under the Harper Conservatives.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence inform this House how, unlike the Conservatives, we will not compromise our ability to meet our NATO and our NORAD commitments?

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

Mr. Chair, that is precisely why we launched an open and transparent process to replace the fighter jets, as the minister said earlier.

I will add that when the Conservatives were in power, they kept two sets of books when it came to the new fighter jets. They had one set of books for the Canadian public and one for themselves, for their government. Talk about transparency. We have just one set of rules, and an open and transparent process that we will follow to the letter.

[Sven Spengemann, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Chair, could the parliamentary secretary comment briefly on the courage of our women and men in assisting in Canada with the flood situation that we are currently facing?

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

Mr. Chair, as I said, we are grateful to the members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are currently assisting those affected by the flooding in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick. That is part of their duties, and they are always there to help the affected communities. As the minister has said repeatedly, the Canadian Armed Forces belong to the communities. I know that Canadian Armed Forces members care deeply about communities, because I saw it first-hand during the ice storm that lasted nearly 20 days in 2017. They were on the ground every single day to help the community get through that difficult time.

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

Mr. Chair, who does the vice chief of defence staff report to?

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

Mr. Chair, the vice chief of defence staff reports to the chief of defence staff, who would be responsible for the administration and command of the Canadian Armed Forces.

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to remind hon. members that the question and the answer have to take up the same amount of time, so we will make sure everybody follows the same rules.

The hon. member for Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill.

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

Mr. Chair, who does the chief of defence staff report to?

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

Mr. Chair, the chief of defence staff reports to me.

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

Mr. Chair, who approves the senior military appointments, particularly the chief of the air staff, maritime staff, land staff and the vice chief of defence staff?

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

Mr. Chair, the appointments are approved by the chief of defence staff.

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

Mr. Chair, is it the responsibility of all members of the Canadian Forces who serve in uniform to be free from real or perceived partisanship and political engagement?

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

Mr. Chair, when it comes to everything in the Canadian Armed Forces, they always work in a very professional manner and they serve us very well.

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

Mr. Chair, who does the deputy minister of the Department of National Defence report to?

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

Mr. Chair, the deputy minister reports to the Minister of National Defence. That is me.

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

Mr. Chair, what authority does the deputy minister have over senior military personnel, specifically generals and admirals?

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

Mr. Chair, the chief of the defence staff has the sole responsibility for the administration and command of the Canadian Armed Forces and all the personnel below that position.

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

Mr. Chair, the question was about the deputy minister, not the chief of defence staff. It was about the authority of the deputy minister over military personnel.

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

Mr. Chair, I am trying to answer the question. She is talking about military personnel, and that comes under the command of the chief of defence staff. The deputy minister is in charge of the Department of National Defence and all civilian personnel.

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

Mr. Chair, would the minister consider an issue that ultimately results in a three-star general being removed from duty in the Canadian Forces and charged by the RCMP for breach of trust a serious issue, yes or no?

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

Mr. Chair, when it comes to the process, as we talked about, it has been completely independent from the beginning to this time. As we stated, it has been confirmed by the prosecution and defence as well.

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

Mr. Chair, when the chief of defence staff was briefed by the RCMP on their investigation into Vice-Admiral Norman, under what authority was he briefed about a supposedly independent ongoing investigation?

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

Mr. Chair, I believe those questions were answered by the chief of defence staff when he was a witness at the trial.

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

Mr. Chair, the minister said that the chief of defence staff reports to him, and therefore he should be able to answer the questions about the chief of defence staff.

On January 9, 2017, did the chief of defence staff brief you, Katie Telford and Gerry Butts on the RCMP investigation?