David Collenette

[Canadian Reserves, October 24th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the Queen's York Rangers is but one of many distinguished regiments that have contributed much over the years to Canada's security with long and noble traditions going back, in the case of the Queen's York Rangers, to the time before Canada became a country in assisting the British in the American revolution.

This heritage is vital to Canada's military preparedness. Earlier this year when we were discussing the rationalizations taking place in national defence I asked Hon. Brian Dickson, former Chief Justice of Canada, to chair the commission on the reserves but in the meantime gave instructions to the department not to effect any changes that would have an impact on reserve regiments until such time as the commission has reported and the parliamentary committee of the House and the Senate reviews the commission's conclusions.

[Cfb Chilliwack, October 17th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, again the hon. members opposite read selectively from documentation. They did not look at the full range of advice that was provided to the deputy minister and to the chief of defence staff. The fact is the savings generated by the closing of Chilliwack will be $46 million a year.

I find it rather odd that the Reform Party, a party that comes into this House everyday and tells the government to cut spending, objects when that spending is cut close to home. "Not in my backyard" is the way Reformers play politics.

[Cfb Chilliwack, October 17th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, I accepted the advice of my officials. It was the department that recommended the consolidation of the army base in Edmonton with the closures of Chilliwack and Calgary.

[Somalia Inquiry, October 17th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member quite frankly does not know what he is talking about. He has cited rather selectively sections of the National Defence Act. I want to assure him that there are ways of dealing with culpability other than with criminal charges. He should go back and look at the National Defence Act and perhaps get some advice on how to interpret it and then come back with some decent questions tomorrow.

[Somalia Inquiry, October 17th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I answered this question rather clearly yesterday.

There is sufficient flexibility in the National Defence Act to ensure that justice will be done. The government well knew the statute of limitations on certain disciplinary matters under the National Defence Act when the inquiry was called. Indeed the justice who chairs the commission, Justice Létourneau, knows it well because he was a former judge of the court martial appeals court.

There are other ways in which justice may be done administratively. If the hon. member is afraid that those people if identified cannot be brought to justice or are somehow not going to be dealt with fairly, I assure him to the contrary.

This will be a matter that will be done in a very deliberate way after all the evidence is brought forward. I would like him to let the commission get down to work so that justice can be done.

[Somalia Inquiry, October 16th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Reform Party, we have a profound respect for the justice system in this country.

The hon. member is fully aware that we were precluded from calling the inquiry because there were courts martial in process and then subsequently there were appeals. Until we had the Westray mine decision of the supreme court in May of this year, we could not have started a commission without risking having the charges quashed of people currently on trial.

If I had done what the hon. member advocated we do and people who have subsequently been charged and convicted were then not subject to the justice system, he would be the first one yelling and screaming in the House of Commons that somehow the government was responsible for the denial of justice.

[Somalia Inquiry, October 16th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the government is fully aware of the provisions of the National Defence Act with respect to the statute of limitations on non-indictable offences. I am sure the commission on Somalia is also well aware of it.

With respect to the question on charges, we do not presume that further charges are to be laid, but we do not preclude it either. I would ask the hon. member and his party to let the commission do its job and we will do our job in government. Then we will have justice served.

[Department Of National Defence, October 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I might ask the hon. member if he would refrain from bordering on abusing the privileges of the member of Parliament for Don Valley East and the Minister of National Defence. I believe that is what he has done in his question, when there is a close reading of the question.

I would like to tell him that the chief of defence staff will be making a public statement this afternoon and will deal with all these matters because they are under his purview.

I would like to ask the hon. member whether he expects the Minister of National Defence to have the governor in council rescind an order in council that was passed 43 years ago designed to prevent political interference in the promotion of officers of the armed forces. Does he want to turn the clock back?

[Department Of National Defence, October 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, from time to time you caution hon. members about the language they use in the House. I would caution the hon. member. If he said this outside the House, it might be actionable.

Second, because of the reservations the chief of defence staff had about the promotion and its delay pending certain investigations, out of courtesy he brought it to my attention. When he brought it to my attention, I expressed reservations that the promotion should go ahead. I reminded the chief of the defence staff that it was his responsibility to deal with these promotions and that it was up to him to decide whether or not to proceed.

[Department Of National Defence, October 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, as a former member of the armed forces, I am sure the hon. member will be aware that following passage of the 1952 National Defence Act an order in council was passed.

It is now found in Queen's Regulations and Orders 11.01(2). It states:

The promotion of a member to any rank lower than that of brigadier-general requires the approval of the Chief of Defence Staff.