Harjit S. Sajjan

[Public Services and Procurement, December 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the truth here. The NORAD commitments and the NATO commitments were commitments made as a nation and every government that comes into power is obligated to meet those expectations.

We are not willing to risk manage the gap. We are not willing to risk manage both our NORAD and NATO commitments simultaneously. We are going to make sure that we have aircraft available for any unforeseen situations. If anybody thinks we cannot have any unforeseen situations, 9/11 was that time. We are going to make sure we fix this gap.

[Public Services and Procurement, December 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I do talk to my chief military adviser General Vance. I do talk to the air force as well.

Our government has commitments to NORAD and to NATO and to satisfy these commitments we cannot do this simultaneously. That is the capability gap that we talk about.

The previous government knew about this gap but it never told Canadians about it and it did nothing about it. This is something we intend to fix.

[National Defence, November 29th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, let us make it very clear in terms of math here. We have a NORAD obligation that has not changed from the previous government to now. We have a NATO obligation as well. When we combine the two, right now we do not have enough operational aircraft to meet both commitments simultaneously, let alone any unforeseen things.

This is the policy that has changed, that we will not risk manage this gap. We are going to make sure we have enough aircraft to do this. That is what our announcement was about last week.

[National Defence, November 29th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing that has changed right now is that we are going to make sure our Canadian Armed Forces have the right tools to fulfill all of the work. A lot of work has been done. Our obligation to NORAD and NATO, and any unforeseen circumstance is extremely important.

We are not going to be asking our air force to risk manage our obligations. We are going to make sure we have all the right tools, and that is what we are going to be providing.

[National Defence, November 29th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite should not take the words out of context.

Our NORAD and NATO obligations have not changed. The only thing that has changed is that our government is not willing to risk manage our commitments. We are going to make sure that we have all of the necessary capabilities, all of the necessary aircraft to be able to fill all of these obligations. This is the only thing that has changed. It was the policy of the previous government to risk manage those obligations.

[National Defence, November 28th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the work that Canada is doing around the world, especially when it comes to our Canadian Armed Forces. Whether it is currently in Iraq or an upcoming mission in NATO, and the peace operation that we will be conducting as well, we know the risks. We will make sure that our Canadian Armed Forces have the right tools and the right training to fulfill those missions.

[Foreign Affairs, November 28th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated, we are committed to peace operations. We are getting all the necessary information and working within the whole of government aspect with my colleagues. The goal is to have this information before the new year. I look forward to sharing all this information with the House and Canadians as well.

[National Defence, November 28th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, regrettably, the situation is ongoing. I have been receiving reports while I have been sitting here. When I have more information, I will update Canadians and the House when I can.

Our hearts and prayers are with the families. Search and rescue is on station at this moment.

[National Defence, November 28th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, regrettably, I can confirm that one CF-18 has crashed near Cold Lake. Search and rescue has been dispatched and is on station. I will have more information as it comes in.

[National Defence, November 28th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, General Vance, the chief of the defence staff, has launched a plan. It is called “Operation Honour”, and this survey was part of that plan to get the full extent of the situation.

Now this provides the necessary information to continue to evolve the plan, moving forward. As I stated, this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and we will root it out.