House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 71% of the vote.
National Defence May 16th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the short answer is yes. We are certainly looking at all the options at the moment. Nothing has been decided with respect to the facilities in Shilo.
I can assure the hon. member that we are looking at what is best in terms of our troops, in terms of their quality of life and in terms of the effectiveness of their operations.
National Defence May 16th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, we have responded to the request from the United Nations in a number of ways. We have provided officers at the peacekeeping headquarters in New York to assist in the planning for Sierra Leone. We have a military observer there. We have provided an Airbus and some 20 personnel.
If we are going to consider any major involvement in Sierra Leone, or anything for which we traditionally engage the opinion of members the House, then of course we would come to the House. But at this point in time we have been responding in these ways, with these small numbers, with significant effectiveness in helping the situation.
Income Tax Conventions Implementation Act, 1999 May 12th, 2000
moved that Bill S-3, an act to implement an agreement, conventions and protocols between Canada and Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Algeria, Bulgaria, Portugal, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Japan and Luxembourg for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, be read the second time and referred to a committee.
National Defence May 12th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, in fact it has already said yes to the national missile defence system through legislation that has been passed and approved by the United States Congress and by the President. It is a matter of the testing that continues to be done to perfect the technology, then a final decision on deployment will be made at that point in time.
No final decision has been made with respect to that. Canada has not been asked. Certainly the matters that the hon. member raises and which have been raised by the foreign affairs minister are very legitimate concerns, and concerns that need to be addressed. There are other concerns. The defence, the security and the relationship between Canada and the United States must also be taken into consideration.
National Defence May 12th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the United States does not bring its nuclear weapons into Canadian waters, into Nanoose, into the testing range.
For decades we have been providing a testing range but it does not test nuclear weapons or any warheads. It only goes through testing in that range.
Our personnel are trained in case there could be a nuclear accident somewhere off our coast because there are submarines and other vessels travelling on the high seas. The United States Navy does not indicate whether it has nuclear weapons on board. That has been a longstanding policy. There is nothing new about this.
National Defence May 11th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to provide whatever information may be of help for the hon. member to understand that we only fly the Sea Kings when they are safe to fly. There is a very rigorous maintenance program. We are putting $50 million into upgrades.
If the hon. member wants to fly in one to see for himself, he is quite welcome to do so. He will find it a lot safer experience than being a member of the Conservative Party.
National Defence May 11th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I would put the military safety record and the rigorous regime of maintenance up against any private sector company any day. We ensure that our aircraft are safe to fly and that they are properly maintained. I think the record speaks for itself in terms of the safety over a great many years of the Sea King helicopter.
National Defence May 11th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, into various components of the helicopter, all of which are designed to work well together to ensure the safety and good operation of our Sea King helicopters. They continue to provide terrific service and our pilots are guiding them toward doing that. They recently rescued a number of people from a sinking ship in the Caribbean area off the Atlantic. They continue to provide search and rescue, plus operations off the back of our frigates in terms of patrol and surveillance. They are doing their job and we are putting in additional money to make sure that they continue to do so until we get the new helicopters.
National Defence May 11th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I have said on a number of occasions that the file is moving forward toward the replacement of the Sea Kings. It is our number one procurement priority. We will continue to develop the procurement strategy and they will be replaced well within the limits of their capability.
National Defence May 11th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, we do not take any of our aircraft up for joy rides.
I have no problem flying in a Sea King. As the Senator has indicated, he has no problem doing that either. We all know that they only fly when they are safe to fly. We have a very rigorous safety regime. These aircraft are well maintained. They are currently being upgraded and $50 million is being invested to overhaul them to make sure they will continue to operate, continue to function and will be safe to fly.