Art Eggleton

[National Defence, December 11th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the finance minister in his budget announced $300 million more in capital funds. We are modernizing the Canadian forces. Just about every major piece of equipment is either being replaced, or being refurbished or upgraded so that our men and women, who do dedicated duty for this country, can have the kind of equipment they need.

With the money that was provided yesterday, over the next five year period we will have some $5.1 billion going into the defence department budget.

[National Defence, December 11th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, a combat capable military is something the government is doing. Anytime we send our troops, and we have sent our troops in higher numbers than many other countries in the world in the campaign against terrorism, we make sure they have the resources they need to do the job.

The resources that the finance minister provided yesterday are a welcome addition to our budget. The Minister of Finance has done a masterful job in being able to balance a number of needs and give additional money to the defence department.

[Supply, December 4th, 2001]

It is housing for the troops.

[Supply, December 4th, 2001]

I am all for it.

[National Defence, December 4th, 2001]

He still has it wrong. We are investing money. We have invested $3 billion over the last three budgets. We have put additional money in the last year in the supplementary estimates and in other funds that were allocated to make up for the need for resources. All of our readiness levels post-September 11 have been reviewed and changes are being made.

[National Defence, December 4th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member needs a better joke writer.

[National Defence, December 4th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member forgot the correct option and that is that he is wrong. He continues to distort the facts.

Whenever the Canadian forces have been called upon they have been there to do the job. They are combat capable. That is not just something being said by the government. It is something being said by the military leadership in the country. Whenever they have been called upon, they have been there to carry the Canadian flag and do honour to the country.

[National Defence, December 3rd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to provide members of the Canadian forces with the kind of equipment, including a helicopter, that they need to do their job. They have written the statement of requirements. They have written the specifications in detail as to what is required.

This is not the cold war era to which the hon. member keeps referring. This is a different era with different requirements and the helicopter that Canadian forces members will get to replace the Sea King will be what they need to do the job.

[National Defence, December 3rd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the government has in the last two budgets put additional money into defence resources for the Canadian forces, some $3 billion over the last couple of budgets.

If we want to talk about NATO, let me offer the words of George Robertson, the secretary general of NATO who said “Whenever I lift the phone and ask Art Eggleton, the Canadian defence minister, or the Prime Minister of Canada, to send a reconnaissance company, they do so quickly; they get the job done”. When Robertson asks, when NATO asks, the Canadian forces deliver.

[Public Security Act, December 3rd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member seems to be on a fishing expedition. He is greatly exaggerating what this whole thing is about. He is creating fear unnecessarily.

We are talking about codifying and clarifying responsibilities which exist under the crown prerogative. They are the same kinds of authorities that the military was using and that the police already have. The police already have these kinds of authorities. The purpose is to control access to people, equipment or property that could be at risk in the case of an emergency.