House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 42% of the vote.
Search and Rescue December 5th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, last Thursday, the Minister of National Defence tried to claim that his trip was “a search and rescue exercise that we had been trying to arrange for some time”. However, the documents show that the opposite is true. The minister used the so-called search and rescue exercise as a pretext to cover up his inappropriate use of our country's emergency resources.
Why does he continue to hide the truth? When will he finally apologize to Canadians?
National Defence December 5th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, ever since this government announced its intention to go ahead with the F-35 procurement, nothing has been going right. There have been problems with cost overruns, effectiveness, durability, communications, safety and landing. The list gets longer every week, but the government is determined to hide the truth from us.
Recently, representatives from Norway said they expect to spend $10 billion to procure 52 planes and $40 billion over 30 years to maintain them. That is $1 billion a plane. The Minister of National Defence openly admitted in committee that he was not up to speed. This government is making things up as it goes along and is engulfed in a mess of its own making.
On behalf of Canadian taxpayers, I am calling on this government to stop hiding the truth. I am calling on this government to release the real figures, to hold a real debate on replacing the CF-18s and to launch an open and transparent tendering process.
National Defence December 2nd, 2011
Mr. Speaker, although the minister is stubbornly defending the F-35 program, a new problem was discovered this week.
We learned today that production of the F-35 aircraft will be delayed because cracks were discovered during testing. These new problems will again increase costs significantly. The F-35 program is experiencing one problem after another.
When will the minister cancel this costly program that is doomed to failure and opt for an open and transparent bidding process?
National Defence December 2nd, 2011
Mr. Speaker, all reasonable people agree that the F-35 program is a fiasco. Today it was vice admiral David Venlet, the Pentagon's man in charge of the F-35s, who said that the ballooning costs of the program “sucks the wind out of your lungs”. He then said that the F-35s are riddled with flaws.
Why is the Minister of National Defence isolating Canada from its allies with his blind support of a failed program? Why will he not put the contract to tender?
National Defence December 1st, 2011
Mr. Speaker, it would have taken the Minister of National Defence just two hours to leave his fishing resort in Gander, but that was too long for him. So he monopolized a search and rescue helicopter and military staff for his personal use. That cannot be justified. That is why the Canadian Forces were opposed to the airlift.
When will the minister confirm that he fabricated the whole story about participating in a military exercise in order to get out of this mess?
National Defence November 30th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the name change was improvised. The French acronym was created on the fly. This mistake highlights the lack of consideration for the French language. The Conservatives are improvising all over the place: the management of military bases, the purchase of equipment, our veterans. That is a worrying trend.
How does the minister explain to francophone air force personnel and their families, who are proud of the work they do, that his department's original plan was to rename the air force with the acronym of a terrorist organization?
National Defence November 30th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, this summer, when the Conservatives decided to profess their love for the royals by hanging portraits of the Queen all over the place and adding the word “royal” to the name of our air force, they completely forgot to think about an appropriate French acronym. In a rush, they decided to use the name “forces aériennes royales canadiennes”, or FARC. You do not need to know much about geopolitics to know that FARC is a Colombian terrorist organization.
Who will the Minister of National Defence blame for this mistake?
National Defence November 25th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, this week, the Auditor General indicated that the government does not even have enough money to ensure basic maintenance of our aircraft. According to the Norwegian government's realistic cost calculations, an estimated $40 billion will be required over 30 years to maintain 52 F-35s. It seems that this government is trying to fob off its miscalculations to future generations.
Will this government stop misleading Canadians and show us the real numbers?
National Defence November 25th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, it took hearing the testimony of representatives of the Norwegian government yesterday at the Standing Committee on National Defence for people to realize that the Associate Minister of National Defence cannot add. Norway expects to pay $10 billion U.S. for just 52 F-35s and another $42 billion for maintenance over 30 years. That is five times more than what this government says it will have to pay.
Since the Conservatives' numbers are simply wrong, should we be asking the Norwegian government to do our math for us?
National Defence November 23rd, 2011
Mr. Speaker, it is crucial to the safety of our troops on the ground that a fighter jet be able to communicate with them. This is no joke.
This situation again shows that the government does not know what is happening with this file. With the communication, safety and durability problems with the F-35s, this government is putting our soldiers' lives in danger.
When will the government finally stop defending its program and unveil its infamous plan B?