Jack Harris

[Main Estimates, 2014-15, June 10th, 2014]

The bozo eruptions.

[Public Works and Government Services, June 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as a Conservative source told The Globe and Mail, rewriting specifications could “be a way for the government to show action without having to make a commitment”.

Conservative staff has told the media that there will be a briefing on Thursday. Is the government just trying to buy more time, or will there indeed be a fair competition with guarantees for jobs for the CF-18 replacement program?

[Public Works and Government Services, June 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, two years after the review of the F-35 began and eight years after the memorandum of understanding that got the government into this trouble in the first place, the Conservatives are still trying to find a way out of the F-35 dilemma.

Now government spinners are telling the media that they think they might rewrite the specifications, which is something they should have done two years ago. Could the minister confirm if this is true?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, June 10th, 2014]

With regard to the Canadian Forces' Cadet Program, for the years 2008 to 2014, broken down by region: (a) what is the overall budget allotment per year for the program; (b) what is the full breakdown of the costs of the program, broken down by cadets and officers, including but not limited to, information on capital expenditures, administration and support, uniforms and equipment, and travel; (c) what is the full breakdown of the costs of staffing the program, including the breakdown of costs by intermediary staff, support staff, and military staff; (d) how much of the program's budget is spent per cadet and what is the amount directly delivered to the local squadrons and corps, excluding uniforms and salaries for squadron and corps staff; and (e) how much of the program's budget is spent on administration, broken down by the following rank level and category, (i) part-time primary Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service (COATS) and Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC) reservists, (ii) full-time primary COATS and CIC reservists, (iii) civilian employees?

[Public Works and Government Services, June 9th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, sounds like déjà vu all over again to me.

The minister might not comment here, but Conservative staff seem quite willing to brief anybody else on the supposed content of this report. Another report released today documents the problems that the single-engine F-35 faces in Canada. The perils of operating a single-engine aircraft in Canada's north are well known.

Will the government take this into account, or is it hell-bent on continuing to ignore the problems and Canada's needs and move ahead on a sole-sourced procurement?

[Public Works and Government Services, June 9th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it has been almost eight years since the December 2006 memorandum of understanding on the F-35 that put Canada on track to sole-source the F-35 with no competition. It has been more than two years since the Conservatives' seven-point plan designed to paper over the loss of public trust, but after all this consternation and delay, it seems the government is poised to go ahead with a sole-sourced purchase with no guarantee for jobs and, again, no competition.

Is the government planning to go back to square one with the same flawed decision?

[Privacy, June 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Conservatives' nominee for privacy commissioner testified that even he is in favour of a parliamentary committee to look at the way that Canada's security intelligence agencies are overseen. This is something that the NDP has long called for.

Now that even the government's own hand-picked privacy commissioner is echoing our call, will the minister reconsider and agree to our proposal for a committee to make recommendations on how it can strengthen parliamentary oversight of the security and intelligence activities of the government while protecting Canadians' privacy?

[Veterans, June 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the men and women who bravely serve, and have served, our country in the Canadian military. Sadly, many of our soldiers and veterans feel forgotten.

Today veterans and their families from across Canada are here on Parliament Hill to protest their treatment by the Conservative government. They have been calling on the government for greater support, whether it be for financial needs, career transition, dealing with a disability, or ensuring that caregivers are recognized and helped. Sadly, these calls have fallen on deaf ears.

In my own riding of St. John's East and across Newfoundland and Labrador, veterans have felt the effects of government cuts, including the closure of the Veterans Affairs office in Corner Brook.

The unanimous report released by the veterans affairs committee, if implemented, is an important first step toward meaningful changes to the new veterans charter, but much more needs to be done. Veterans can count on the NDP to continue the fight to ensure that our veterans and their families get the support and help they need and deserve.

[National Defence, June 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, no doubt, in due course I suspect that we will have an announcement of another sole-source boondoggle.

Keeping the review of sexual assaults within the Canadian military will not change the military's way of doing things. It will not get to the bottom of the issue. It will not help those affected, nor promote confidence in the system. Experts have said that this issue needs to be handled by civilians outside the military, but instead the government is promoting a military investigation.

Does the minister really believe that victims of sexual assault will trust anything less than an independent judicial inquiry?

[National Defence, June 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, like so many of the government's projects, the F-35 procurement process started as a disaster by the Liberals and has been made worse by the Conservatives. From cost overruns and delays to secrecy about the cost of the project, Canadians do not trust the project, the process used, or the government itself. The minister was happy to tell CANSEC that there would be a decision in the next few weeks, but she has not commented on what will happen here in the House.

Will the decision be made before the House rises for the summer, and will there be a fair competition for the replacement of the CF-18s?