Art Hanger

[Peacekeeping, February 17th, 1999]

If it is a NATO led force my understanding is it will be interventionist. They will go in and make peace. That is also some of the discussion that has gone on in spite of the statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. If we are not going in as peacemakers but as peacekeepers is it under the UN banner? I do not think that is very clear.

What kind of equipment will they have? The equipment they have right now in any hostilities would not be adequate.

[Peacekeeping, February 17th, 1999]

Madam Speaker, I have listened fairly closely to the minister of defence. There seems to be a misconception, and I ask for clarification, that this is not a NATO participation role in Kosovo. Is that correct? In other words, it is a UN peacekeeping mission.

[The Budget, February 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the defence minister said that he needed $700 million. He goes to the negotiating table, gets pushed around and comes up with what, less than half of what he needs. That is humiliating at best.

When will the defence minister step aside and let someone else do the job?

[The Budget, February 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, since this Liberal government has come into power it has slashed $7.8 billion from the defence budget itself.

Before yesterday's budget, the defence minister said that he needed $700 million to make ends meet. He got only $325 million.

If that is the best this defence minister can do, maybe it is time he stood aside.

[National Defence, February 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians can take great pride in our armed forces. They have demonstrated time and again their dedication, bravery and professionalism. It is unsurpassed. What a great disappointment then to read yesterday's budget.

Since the Liberals took power in 1993, the defence department's budget has been slashed by more than $7 billion. This has had a devastating effect on both operational readiness and morale.

Fixing low morale is not a simple matter of increasing pay levels. Morale is also affected by equipment that personnel must use. Our air force is flying aircraft that is 20 to 45 years old. Our army is driving 30-year old APCs and outdated trucks.

Yesterday's puny budget increase of $325 million addresses only one side of the morale question, a tiny fraction of what has been cut. This meagre increase is to be devoted to pay and benefits.

[National Defence, February 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, if the minister were to look at Reform's proposal we wanted to include $1 billion in the defence budget and they have cut it.

Our pilots are taking undue risks flying old equipment. They only do it out a sense of duty to the country, which is more than what I can say for the minister of defence.

When will our pilots, their crews and their families get new helicopters?

[National Defence, February 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, since the Liberal government has come into power it has cut over $7 billion from the defence budget. We see the results. Today all the Sea Kings were grounded again and are unable to fly. The minister has known about this for some time.

My question is for the defence minister. Time has run out. When are you going to replace the aging Sea King helicopters?

[Foreign Affairs, February 10th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, one hour ago I witnessed a humiliating scene over at the Department of National Defence, the Prime Minister using the chief of the defence staff as his fall guy for the Prime Minister's own flawed decision.

I do not believe the Canadian forces are to blame here. The Prime Minister has a responsibility to clean the air.

I am asking the Prime Minister again if he will table in the House the logs and the correspondence that existed between his office and the Department of National Defence now?

[Foreign Affairs, February 10th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, we now know that the military could have placed the Prime Minister in Jordan for King Hussein's funeral. Everybody now knows that the Prime Minister is blaming the Canadian forces for his bad judgment. He continues to stubbornly stick with that unbelievable explanation.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Will he immediately table the flight logs and other pertinent correspondence between the Prime Minister's Office and the Department of National Defence to back up his story?

[National Defence, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious the defence minister has not even read his own military department documents.

These defence documents show that budget cuts are forcing the military to drastically cut back on the number of aircraft in its fleet. I will quote again from those documents. “Even the must-do roles and tasks” like coastal defence “would be degraded from current standards”.

Who is guarding Canada's coastline?