Mr. Speaker, the identification of essential staff at Base Petawawa was negotiated with the Union of National Defence Employees and the Public Service Alliance of Canada, in consultation with the Canadian Forces Housing Agency. When strike action temporarily shut down the base's central heating plant, staff at the base moved quickly to ensure additional shower facilities with integral heating were opened up and alternative heating sources were brought in. The Department of National Defence, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the Union of National Defence Employees also worked together to deem additional staff essential so that the central heating plant could resume operation, which it did.
This also gives me the opportunity to highlight some of the ways we are supporting the members of our Canadian Armed Forces on the bases and wings where so many of them live. Base Petawawa has seen a number of new investments in recent years, investments that are not only improving the daily lives of our military personnel, but enhancing their operational readiness as well. That includes a new $60-million health services centre, which opened up last year. This new facility has improved supports for the physical and mental health of our forces' members at Petawawa. It consolidates medical, dental, physiotherapy and mental health services into one centrally located facility, making it easier for members to access the help they need.
In 2021, we opened a 10-building complex on the base to give the Canadian Special Operations Regiment a dedicated place to train and store equipment. Also that year, the Royal Canadian Dragoons moved into a new, renovated facility that will better meet their operational requirements.
Investments like these are not just happening at Petawawa. They are happening across the country. In March, the Prime Minister announced a $7.3-billion investment to upgrade and build new infrastructure that will house Canada's fleet of F-35 fighter jets, as part of our NORAD modernization plan. This new construction will take place at bases and wings across Canada from Goose Bay to Comox, in the north and especially in Bagotville and Cold Lake.
We also continue to upgrade bases and wings through a series of energy performance contracts. These contracts are retrofitting military facilities to the highest standards of energy-efficient design, while guaranteeing savings over time. We have implemented 13 such contracts since 2015, including at Base Petawawa, which are lowering the military's carbon footprint and contributing to Canada's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
We will continue to ensure our people in uniform have modern facilities in which to live, work and train. They deserve nothing less.