Elsie Wayne

[National Defence, October 16th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, over three years ago the auditor general of the day stated that our Canadian forces needed a $1 billion increase annually to retain its effectiveness and avoid further rust out of its resources. This was agreed to by the Conference of Defence Association and by the minister of defence's senior staff.

I do not want the Minister of Finance to joke or laugh. I want him to tell us when he is going to bring in a budget and put the money back into the military so it can do its job.

[Supply, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, our colleague from Nepean--Carleton mentioned the fact that the hon. leader of the PC Party did not get in touch with him, he being the chair of the veterans affairs committee and I being a member, before we brought forth today's motion.

I think that when the right hon. member for Calgary Centre brought forth the motion, it was not to be a political one. It was a motion to say that all those involved here must come together just as was done in the United States. When President Bush spoke, it should be noted that all the Democrats got up. They were all together. No one was condemning anyone else. They came together. We must bring all of our committees together that are dealing with this horrendous situation. They can work on and I am sure bring forth policies that are going to make our national security safer for all people.

I have great respect for the hon. member as chair of our veterans committee, I truly do. He works extremely hard. I feel that my colleague wants to do what is right for all Canadians. Does the hon. member not feel it is better to bring all representatives of those committees together so they can share all the information they have and then come forth with policies that are good for all people from coast to coast?

[Supply, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I did not say they would fall out of the sky. It was a member of his party who said they would fall out of the sky. I have had major concerns with regard to the replacement of the Sea Kings ever since a pilot was killed just outside my riding of Saint John. Others as well have had a difficult time.

We have been informed in the last 48 hours that they have been working on the Sea Kings to make sure they are safe and sound. I pray, and I want everyone else to pray, that this is the way it will be for our Sea Kings until the pilots come home safely.

[Supply, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I believe everyone is aware of the report tabled by the Canadian Defence Association called “Caught in the Middle”. It was prepared by approximately 600,000 retired personnel including colonels and generals. It stated that we have to put $1 billion in the budget every year for the next five years to stabilize our military and after that we have to put in more billions of dollars.

I say to the minister of defence that we will support him when he goes to cabinet and tells the Prime Minister that he needs billions of dollars for the military. We will support him fully on that, and I hope that is what he will do.

[Supply, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I would have liked to have seen our EH-101s there, but that will not be the case. We have committed 2,000 personnel to assist Great Britain and the United States to bring about peace in the world. We have to rise above the situation in Afghanistan and the terrorists.

I am hoping and praying, as is the minister of defence, that our Sea Kings will be able to do the job while they are there. A lot of repairs and changes have been carried out and the situation is being monitored.

We have to make sure that our borders are safe. For that reason we need to keep some of the Sea Kings here, and we will. We are not sending all of them over there. That is not what is happening. One of our frigates that is in the Mediterranean will be going to the Persian Gulf and the rest will be leaving on Wednesday.

We have been fighting for the replacement of the Sea Kings and we will continue to do that. I pray that the minister is accurate when he says that our men will be all right with the Sea Kings at the present time.

[Supply, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the House and my right hon. colleague for allowing me the opportunity to speak to this important motion.

I have come to believe that in every generation Canadians are tested, both by foreign and domestic events. In these trying times our commitment to the basic principles of equality, diversity, tolerance and justice are tested. How we conduct ourselves in the face of danger and adversity is what defines our national character. I am proud of the determination and compassion shown by the Canadian people in the aftermath of September 11. It is with that spirit of confidence and pride in the people of Canada that I stand here today.

When I first considered the motion I was struck by the need for the House to maintain the important balance between the duty to be accountable to the Canadian people and the duty to ensure our national security. While our rich military heritage has afforded us a number of precedents for how to accomplish this task, I believe that perhaps we should look to our charter of rights and freedoms for guidance.

Section 1 of the charter states that we should always guarantee the basic principles of fundamental justice “subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society”.

I believe, and I hope my colleagues here today would agree, that our duty to remain accountable to the Canadian people in times of war, as in times of peace, should be limited only by what can be justified in a free and democratic society. Without question the government must not disclose any information that might place our armed forces, or indeed those of our allies, at even greater risk. The purpose and effect of the motion before the House does not in any way suggest that we compromise national security. What is expressed in this motion is the desire of the Canadian people to have their government remain as accountable as is reasonable under the circumstances.

The concept of a joint committee of the standing committee on national defence and the standing committee on foreign affairs is based on the fundamental truth that the government is never completely excused from its duty to inform parliament of its actions. If this is the truth we hold in times of peace, it is that much more crucial in times of war. The joint standing committee would serve two basic principles. First and foremost it would ensure that parliament has at its disposal the most current information as to the status of the ongoing campaign against terrorism. Second, it could serve as a vivid reminder that the Canadian government remains a government of the people, even in the most pressing and difficult of times.

Each and every conflict our nation has faced in its proud history has been substantially different from any other. However, it is not an exaggeration to suggest that this current war against terrorism is a new type of conflict, novel not only to Canada but to mankind as a whole. In the past our ocean borders have served to protect us from the many horrors of war. For this reason, in the last century our nation has been spared much of the civilian death and destruction that has ravaged so many other continents.

On September 11 we were taught a vicious lesson and were shown that evil will strike whenever and wherever it wishes. If we remain idle the battlegrounds of the 21st century could well be our cities. We have received notice in the cruellest of fashions that we are now targets. We are targets because we value a free and democratic system of government. We are targets because we do not discriminate on the basis of gender, religious faith or ethnic race.

In short, we are targets for the very reason that makes us Canadians. Therefore if we change our system of government, if we alter our way of life from free to secret, from overt to covert, in effect we are giving the terrorists what they want most. The greatest proof that their attacks have failed and that their future attacks would be futile would be for Canada and our government to continue with these fundamental principles of justice and freedom that have served us so well since 1867.

We in the House are extremely fortunate that we have been allowed to make our stand against terrorism from inside the security of the Chamber. From this sheltered House we have sent our most courageous citizens into the path of danger.

To prove that we are worthy of this power, the power to wage war and the power to order Canadians in the prime of their lives to serve their country in the most dangerous place on earth, we must make the case for it each and every day. We must prove to the nation and to the families of our men and women in uniform that what we have done and what we continue to do is just and right. Each and every one of us has a duty to support without condition or moderation our Canadian men and women in uniform. We also have an equal duty to honour our commitments to our nation's allies, to NATO, to NORAD and to the United Nations.

Since Confederation our country has sent its most courageous citizens to fight injustice and tyranny on almost every continent. To that end, Canadians have offered their lives in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Ours is a proud military heritage forged both in times of war and in times of peace. Ours is a reputation earned through a constant commitment to the highest principles of mankind and an unwavering faith in the just equality of the world's people.

I take great personal comfort in knowing that our Canadian forces personnel will stand on the frontlines of this campaign as they have stood on the front lines of every significant campaign of the last century. There is no question that our freedom is as safe and secure as it can be when it is in the protective care of the Canadian military and our men and women in uniform.

I have always said and will always continue to say that in any discussion of our armed forces we must leave politics at the door. I want to appeal to all Canadians to support our military in these difficult times. I want to appeal to the government to ensure that from this day forward our military will receive the funds it requires to get the tools it needs to do its job.

There has been a great deal of concern expressed in the country about the status of our military equipment, perhaps most notably the dependability of our Sea King helicopters. I have the utmost confidence in the pilots and the crews of our Sea King fleet, but like all Canadians I am well aware of how unreliable the Sea Kings have proven to be in recent years. The minister of defence himself has indicated that the Sea Kings are near the end of their operational life and yet no replacement has been chosen, let alone purchased or delivered. If the government had not cancelled the EH-101 and had left politics at the door in 1993 we would have new helicopters for our pilots.

Let there be no mistake. We have seen the reality of our post-cold war country. We continue to live in a vicious and dangerous world where threats are not always obvious and risks are rarely clear. We must therefore always take seriously our responsibility to maintain a robust and effective armed forces, knowing that many of the threats we will face in the future will now be unpredictable. The attacks of September 11 have given us ample proof that we must always be vigilant in the defence of freedom.

Being vigilant means being ready. Being ready means having an effective armed forces and giving it the tools and capabilities it needs to meet every imaginable challenge. While I might not be convinced that our military has all the tools it needs to complete those complicated tasks we assign them, I can say without hesitation that person for person we have the best military in the world.

The motion before the House today affords us another opportunity to justify our presence here in the House. It allows us another opportunity to condemn the cowardly terrorist acts of September 11 and also to take positive action to secure our system of government.

In closing, it is crucial that the courage and compassion of the Canadian people be reflected in the actions of our government. It is vital that in the exercise of our parliamentary duties we adhere to the same principles of open accountability that we did before September 11. I therefore urge all members to support the motion. I feel so strongly about the merits of the motion that I move:

That the words “jointly to hold frequent meetings” be substituted by the words “frequently, including joint meetings”.

[National Defence, October 4th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, we have been informed that due to a shortage of spare parts at Cold Lake, Alberta, some CF-18 aircraft from 410 squadron were stripped of essential parts that are needed and used to keep the aircraft of 416 and 441 squadrons in the air.

How can the minister justify this type of mechanical cannibalism when we are having this horrible terrorist situation? When can we expect a new federal budget that will put money in the budget for the military and give it the resources it needs so we can play a full--

[National Defence, October 2nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, since the senseless terrorist attacks on the U.S.A., Canadians from every part of the country have rallied to lend a hand and make a difference.

My office has received a number of letters from concerned citizens wanting to make a difference. One such idea came from retired Captain Ken Maybee of New Maryland, New Brunswick, who suggests that we should resurrect the idea of victory bonds.

Captain Maybee is firm in his belief that a designated series of victory bonds directed for this purpose would not only provide unbudgeted funds, but could give much needed resources to our armed forces. It would also allow all Canadians a patriotic way to show their support for the war against terrorism.

The Maybee family has a strong and ongoing tradition of military service to our country. Their family represents the best of citizenship and a model of public service.

I rise today to urge the government to consider the benefits of the Maybee victory bonds initiative and I wish to express my thanks to Captain Maybee for his compassionate patriotism at this time.

[Terrorism, September 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has agreed to support President Bush and our allies against terrorism. A frigate and a supply ship left the port of Halifax last week.

While respecting national security, will the Prime Minister confirm before the House today that the ships are at sea as part of the Canadian forces contribution to the American war on terrorism, and will he also confirm that this was discussed with President Bush yesterday?

[Terrorism, September 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, here's Elsie.