House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 71% of the vote.
National Defence May 29th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, let me make it very clear that the requirements for this helicopter were written by the military. They were changed in no way by the government. We are seeking a helicopter that in fact meets the very requirements of today.
What the hon. member is talking about is old, cold war requirements. What we are talking about is what we need for today and the future. It is military requirements and no political changes were made to the statement of requirements.
National Defence May 29th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, it has been said time and time again that we will not fly these helicopters unless they are safe to fly.
In fact, the hon. member continually uses outdated information. The up to date information is that we are investing an additional $50 million in the Sea King helicopter to make sure that it will remain safe to fly and can complete its duties until the new helicopters arrive.
The Environment May 28th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated earlier, we are working with local residents, local municipalities and responsible officials in the province of Quebec to make sure clean-ups are conducted and that we do abide totally by the law in providing the cleanest possible water from an uncontaminated source for the people in the area, including our own troops.
National Defence May 28th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I am getting tired of this member running down the fine dedicated men and women of our Canadian forces. They were well equipped in that air campaign and they will continue to be well equipped. In fact, we are spending some $872 million in a contract to upgrade our CF-18s. They will be amongst the finest that can be provided, if necessary.
National Defence May 28th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, that is an absolute wrong characterization. The right characterization is the fact that we played a very key role in terms of that air campaign in Yugoslavia.
We were one of the top allies of NATO in providing the kind of forces and equipment that was necessary. Even the United States, which had more forces and equipment than Canada, had difficulty with its number of munitions, as did all countries that were involved. The campaign went on for a considerable period of time.
What is important is what the head general told us. He said that Canadians were first teamers and that we were doing an excellent job.
The Environment May 28th, 2001
No, Mr. Speaker. We are concerned about people's public health. We are concerned about doing the responsible thing. I have had a meeting with the mayor. I have put a proposal to the mayor and to the council that would involve us in helping them out in this situation. We will continue to work very closely with them.
The Environment May 28th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, that is not the case at all. We are working very closely with the town of Shannon. In fact the mayor of Shannon and a delegation came to see me just a couple of weeks ago. We have entered into a very substantial expenditure of money, over $2 million, to try to get to the bottom of what is causing the problem and to find ways of remedying it.
We are taking this matter very seriously and we are being very responsible. We are communicating with the town, its mayor, its people and the environment ministry in Quebec.
National Defence May 17th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, this has to do with the private contracting of sealift capability to bring our equipment home. As the House knows we had difficulty with one particular ship last year, so we changed our procedures to tighten up on that.
In the course of doing we contracted with a company which is the only company that has the kind of expertise needed to meet the new conditions. We therefore contracted with that company which will in turn give us a list of different ships available from which the department will choose.
We feel that is the best way to protect Canadian interests and the taxpayer dollar.
National Defence May 16th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, Officership 2020 is a new blueprint for leadership and professional development for the Canadian forces. In fact our aim is to help make the Canadian forces into a learning organization.
To that end we are putting a number of new programs in place: for example, a personal enhancement program that will increase the amount of reimbursement for educational courses from $5,000 up to $20,000, not just for officers but for all ranks of the Canadian forces. An additional $19 million is going into post-graduate work as well. All together we are helping to prepare our officers for the 21st century.
National Defence May 16th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, we have just signed a new five year agreement with the United States with respect to NORAD.
NORAD does have a very strong purpose and function. It is a useful defence of North America for Canada and the United States.
With respect to missile defence, as we have often said, we are into consultations. In fact, we began those consultations yesterday.
NORAD still has a very clear function, a very clear purpose and is of value to Canada and the United States regardless of our decision on missile defence.