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.