James Bezan

[National Defence, December 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Saskatoon—Humboldt is correct. Our government has facilitated multiple technical briefings from the military for Canadians on the mission in Iraq. We have also made numerous statements in this House regarding our air strikes.

In that tradition, I can confirm that yesterday our CF-18s dropped a bomb on an ISIL vehicle checkpoint about 250 kilometres to the southwest of Mosul.

Unlike the Liberals, who did not even bother consulting Parliament when they sent our armed forces to Afghanistan, our government has been open and transparent with Canadians.

[National Defence, December 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Etobicoke Centre for his great support for Ukraine.

There has indeed been increased activity in the Baltic Sea region by Russian forces, and our CF-18 pilots continue to witness it first-hand. Yesterday morning, two CF-18 Hornets based in Lithuania were scrambled to respond to non-NATO aircraft off the Baltic coast and intercepted a Russian transport aircraft and a Russian surveillance plane.

This time, however, these Russian planes had an escort: four Russian MiG-31 Foxhound fighter jets. Our CF-18s shadowed this Russian formation for approximately an hour.

Let there be no mistake: Canada continues to stand with our NATO allies in the face of Russian military aggression.

[Government Contracts, December 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to providing the best care possible for our men and women in uniform. It was our government that boosted the mental health budget for the armed forces by over 20%. Members who are battling mental illness have greater access to specialized care more than ever before.

The Canadian Armed Forces has established a new national Canadian Military and Veterans Mental Health Centre of Excellence and created a Chair in Military Mental Health, working in partnership with the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. We are seeking even further opportunities to advance military-related mental health research. Our brave men and women in uniform deserve nothing less.

[National Defence, December 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke for all her hard work on behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The Minister of National Defence is in Ukraine today, meeting with his counterpart, Defence Minister Colonel General Stepan Poltorak. Canada signed a declaration of intent to conduct joint military training in response to Russia's aggression toward Ukraine.

I can also confirm that yesterday, two CF-18 Hornets, based in Lithuania, intercepted three Russian Federation Air Force aircraft inside the Lithuanian and Estonian identification region. Our Hornets shadowed two Russian transport crafts and one bomber training aircraft for over an hour.

This is further proof that we are standing with Ukraine against Russian aggression.

[National Defence, December 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our government is resolved to ensure that Canada does its part to confront and degrade ISIL and its capability to commit mass atrocities. The terrorist group ISIL represents not only a serious threat to the region, but to Canada as well. It has issued calls for targeted attacks against several countries, including Canada.

The current mission is a six-month deployment. The clock on this deployment began after the vote in Parliament, which expressed the support of the House for this mission. Any extension of the current mission or changes in the deployment will be brought before the House for debate.

[National Defence, December 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member and, indeed, the entire House that the operations we are doing in Iraq are well defined by the motion that the House passed just a couple of weeks ago. We have been clear that our mission does not involve ground troops and that we will continue to only function in the fashion defined by the motion accepted by Parliament.

[National Defence, December 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Etobicoke Centre for his question and his service as a proud veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Early this morning, two CF-18s, in a pre-planned mission, conducted air strikes against two ISIL fighting positions as well as two ISIL machine-gun positions in the area north of Mosul, Iraq. These positions represented a clear threat to Kurdish Peshmerga forces on the ground.

Our men and women in uniform have conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism in this ongoing fight against ISIL. I want to again thank them for their great efforts. Canada will continue to do its part in the international efforts to confront ISIL.

[The Environment, December 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we are investing in and putting in place the regulations and the conservation and recovery plans for species at risk. It is important to note that actions that protect and conserve species at risk do not depend solely on the listing and preparation and posting of recovery documents under the Species at Risk Act. As I said before, there is also is joint collaboration with the provinces, the territories, and local communities to make these happen. There are many other actions that we are undertaking as well to conserve and recover species at risk.

Furthermore, the responsibilities for the survival and recovery of species at risk is not, as I have just said, uniquely federal. Our actions are complemented by the provinces and territories. We share the responsibility of conservation, especially on provincial lands and in working with landowners, since land is within their jurisdiction. They have the primary role in protecting wildlife and for the management of wildlife on provincial and private land. This is reflected in the Species at Risk Act itself, and the federal government works co-operatively with the provinces and the territories on species at risk in order to avoid duplication of effort and to coordinate the efforts to protect species. Canadian industry and ordinary citizens also have an important role in stewardship.

[The Environment, December 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome this opportunity to respond to the question from the member for Drummond.

In a previous Parliament I chaired the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, which did the statutory review of the Species at Risk Act at the time, a review that I understand is going to recur.

Our government takes the matter of species at risk very seriously and is taking action to conserve our species at risk and their habitats. Using the best available community, aboriginal traditional, and scientific knowledge, and working co-operatively with all Canadians, we are taking action now that will make a difference for nature today and tomorrow. Our government has posted recovery strategies and management plans for a number of species. We continue to share science on species at risk with the provinces and help them inform their decisions. We are working closely with landowners, environmental organizations, industry, and aboriginal groups, as well as with the provinces and territories that are responsible for the protection of species at risk on provincial lands. We also launched a national conservation plan that provides a national vision to advance conservation efforts right across the country.

Indeed, on May 15, 2014, our Prime Minister launched the national conservation plan, which provides a national vision to advance conservation efforts across the country. This includes $50 million over the next five years to support voluntary actions to restore and conserve species at risk and their habitats; and another $50 million to restore wetlands, which will benefit ecosystems and the species that depend on wetlands, a number of which are now at risk.

The funding to support voluntary actions will expand two existing programs, the habitat stewardship program and the aboriginal fund for species at risk. Together, they have supported hundreds of recovery projects across the country. Since its inception, the habitat stewardship program has contributed over $127 million to 2,178 local conservation projects. The aboriginal fund for species at risk has contributed nearly $22 million to 631 conservation and recovery projects.

The Species at Risk Act is one of the Canadian government's main conservation tools to protect species at risk, making healthy ecosystems and preserving Canada's natural heritage. This act supplements existing federal, provincial, and territorial laws governing the protection of animal and plant species and their habitats. Actions that benefit species at risk are also being taken under these other acts.

As part of the government's commitment to preserve Canada's biodiversity, we are working hard on the implementation of the Species at Risk Act, and have been aggressively addressing the backlog of species requiring recovery planning. Environment Canada has significantly accelerated our progress in recent years. Since January 1, 2011, we have published 94 recovery strategies and management plans. In addition, we will significantly reduce the number of species requiring a recovery document over the next three years.

[National Defence, December 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the member for Québec that we want to make sure we get this right. We want to make sure that it still encompasses all the great history that is there and that it is still a tourist attraction, as the member alluded to.

Our government is proud to support the reconstruction of the Grande-Allée Armoury, a centrepiece of Quebec City's rich architectural landscape and its proud military past. The reconstruction of this national historic site of Canada will generate jobs in Quebec and culminate in an exciting new space that will host cultural and community activities, provide government offices, and be a tribute to the Voltigeurs de Québec.

Officials expect that reconstruction will begin in 2015, once a construction company has been chosen, and completion of the work is expected in 2017. Through this project we are supporting local jobs in Quebec City and allowing all to enjoy the armoury for years to come.

This is good news for the local economy, good news for the Canadian military, and great news for the city of Quebec.