Jean Rioux

[National Defence, April 10th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.

We are very proud of the work of the members of the Canadian Armed Forces under this joint operation. The Canadian Armed Forces have been contributing to Operation Caribbe for 11 years now by helping to stop international drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and off the coast of Central America.

By preventing the flow of illegal drugs and prohibiting illegal access to the sea, our men and women in uniform are contributing to blocking a significant source of income for organized crime and ensuring everyone's safety on the continent.

[National Defence, April 3rd, 2017]

Madam Speaker, I would like to reiterate that our government cares deeply about our men and women in uniform. What is more, the government is in the process of correcting the harmful effects of the danger pay and tax relief system put in place by the Conservatives.

We are constantly working to improve the working conditions of our soldiers. Contrary to what the member said, the defence budget has increased. The government is thus committed to ensuring that the Canadian Armed Forces has the tools it needs to accomplish its security and defence missions and to work with our allies on a wide variety of operations around the world.

Today, Canada is the sixth largest contributor of the 28 NATO member countries. I would like to reassure my colleague that the parameters for determining Canada's contribution will be in keeping with the rules of NATO.

[National Defence, April 3rd, 2017]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman for raising this adjournment debate. I know how much of a concern this is to him and to all other members of the House.

I would like to remind my hon. colleague that our government and the rest of the House unanimously supported the opposition motion on this matter on March 9. The motion we supported sought to reinstate tax relief for Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed in Arifjan, Kuwait.

I would like to begin by reiterating what the minister and I have both said many times. Our government cares very much about our troops and has tremendous respect for the men and women who serve in the Canadian Armed Forces. They are highly trained and highly skilled and are the pride of all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. When they are deployed overseas, they represent Canada with professionalism and courage.

Members of the House are unanimous when it comes to their support for the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces. Hon. members agree that CAF personnel are entitled to allowances that reflect the conditions and risks that they are exposed to. Our commitment in this regard has not changed.

The Minister of National Defence himself was deployed many times when he was a soldier. He knows how important these allowances are, not only for our brave soldiers, but also for their families back at home. The well-being of our soldiers is a top priority for our government.

I would also remind my colleague that the minister has made personal commitments regarding risk assessment. He has asked the chief of the defence staff to look at our internal procedures and make recommendations regarding any changes that should be made. He has also asked the Department of National Defence to work with the other relevant departments and agencies to review this process. This review is under way, and our government will make decisions once it is completed.

As we await the results of this review, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the methodology currently used to assign risk levels. Risk levels assigned to any operation are constantly reviewed. Risk levels accurately reflect the actual conditions and risks that personnel are exposed to in a specific geographic location and on a specific operation. These levels change over time, as do the risks and conditions associated with soldiers' duties.

It is important to note that the committee that makes these decisions consists not only of civilian staff, but also of senior military officials. These individuals have led military operations and their experience has made them acutely aware of the sacrifices constantly being made by the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces.

These risk levels are established based on the analyses and advice of experts such as senior military officials, doctors, and intelligence advisors. Committee members do their best to properly assess the conditions and risks associated with each deployment. While waiting for General Vance's review, we should remember that the top priority is to ensure that our men and women in uniform are always honoured and duly compensated for the work they do.

[National Defence, April 3rd, 2017]

Madam Speaker, I would like to reiterate that harmful or inappropriate sexual behaviour of any kind is absolutely unacceptable. The Canadian Armed Forces recognizes that it needs to do better and is working very hard to root out this problem.

Between April and December 2016, 116 individuals were subject to administrative action for incidents of sexual misconduct. In 2016, 19 people were accused of committing sexual offences and 17 of them were found guilty. In 2016, 32 people were relieved of their command, supervision, or training duties because of matters of a sexual nature.

There is still work to be done and we remain committed to fixing what is wrong within the culture of the Canadian Armed Forces.

[National Defence, April 3rd, 2017]

Madam Speaker, I thank the member for raising this important issue.

I will take this opportunity to point out the member's work on and contribution to equality and respect for human rights. All men and women who serve their country deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter their sex or background.

The results of the Statistics Canada survey remind us why the chief of the defence staff made Operation Honour his first order. The data from this survey on sexual misconduct is extremely troubling, but also useful, and serves to refocus the efforts of Operation Honour. An action plan to resolve the problems outlined in the survey will be released by the chief of the defence staff later this month.

In the meantime, measures have already been implemented in response to some of the main concerns. The priority was to ensure that victims have more and different options for care and support. I am pleased to confirm that they do have more than they did a year ago. That is a significant improvement.

A number of initiatives to support victims of sexual violence are being developed to ensure that victims have access to a full range of services to help them navigate the military justice system and get the care they need to restore their well-being.

A peer support network is being developed in coordination with the well-established operational stress injury support group and will be available soon.

The forces have also enhanced their engagement with sexual assault victim support groups located near bases and wings where military victims currently seek support.

The Canadian Armed Forces are also implementing new comprehensive education and training initiatives to raise awareness among members.

Given the survey results, our armed forces must do better. The survey revealed that sexual assault happens much more often than in the general population. This behaviour is harmful to all members of the armed forces.

It is important to note that the survey also revealed there are signs Operation Honour is taking hold. More than 80% of military members trust that their leaders will deal effectively with harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour.

To further enhance the confidence of our members, this must be backed up with results. As the chief of the defence staff said, those who choose not to follow his orders will be dealt with through disciplinary or administrative action. Harmful or inappropriate sexual behaviour of any kind is absolutely unacceptable.

Given the results of this survey, I can appreciate that there are those who remain skeptical of the military's efforts. However, our government and the chief of the defence staff are committed to demonstrating that Operation Honour is different.

The cultural change that is being fostered will not happen overnight and will continue to require the full engagement of every military member.

I would like to thank the members of the Canadian Armed Forces who responded to the survey. The high response rate shows how concerned Canadian Armed Forces members are about this issue.

The Canadian Armed Forces has a lot of work ahead, but I know the current leadership is committed to getting it done.

[National Defence, April 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the office of the ombudsman was created to act as a mediator, to conduct investigations, and to produce reports neutrally and objectively on issues related to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces.

Last week, the ombudsman submitted a report on governance calling for greater independence. The minister committed to maintaining a positive and productive working relationship with the ombudsman. The minister encouraged the ombudsman to come to him and said he should not encounter obstacles in fulfilling his mandate.

[Adjournment Proceedings, March 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are very familiar with the current program because they instituted it. They know full well that our government is bringing changes to their system to get rid of its negative impact.

The government is transparent and applying the established rules. No one has lost any income to date. In the meantime, the Conservative Party has posted this matter on its website in an attempt to score political points. Instead of helping us research and implement sustainable solutions, it would rather play petty politics at the expense of our troops and their families.

The minister has become personally involved in this file. He knows what the families of our troops experience and he knows how tax relief and other allowances can help ease some of the stress caused by these deployments. All members of the House are in agreement on this.

[Adjournment Proceedings, March 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my honourable colleague for his question.

First, I would like to reiterate that this government has tremendous respect for the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces. They know their duty is to carry out the missions the government asks of them, and they do outstanding work in performing their duties.

The least we can do is ensure that they are appropriately compensated for the excellent work they do on operations, and that is exactly what the minister said to the member opposite during committee in December, and again when we debated his motion earlier this month in the House.

We committed to look after our men and women in uniform, particularly regarding their compensation. This commitment has not changed. The minister himself has been deployed many times, and he knows how important these allowances are not only for our soldiers, but for their families back at home as well.

This is why Canadian Armed Forces members deployed abroad are entitled to allowances that reflect the conditions and risks that they are exposed to. The risk levels assigned to Canadian Armed Forces operations are established by a committee after review by various experts, including medical and intelligence advisors.

This is a rigorous and thorough process that involves multiple departments. The goal of this committee is to assign levels that accurately reflect the actual conditions and risks that personnel are exposed to in a specific geographic location and on a specific operation. Like for all CAF operations abroad, the different levels assigned to Operation Impact are continuously reviewed to ensure our men and women in uniform continue to be appropriately compensated.

As the hon. member pointed out, there have been recent changes changes in the risk allowance of 15 soldiers deployed to Kuwait as part of Operation Impact. In its new assessment, the committee found that the level of risk was not high enough to meet the requirements for a tax break for those locations.

That being said, we are currently looking at how best to appropriately compensate our personnel for the outstanding work they do on operations. This includes reviewing internal procedures on addressing hardship and risk conditions.

As we have said it before, the minister has asked the Chief of the Defence Staff to look into this issue and to make recommendations on what changes need to be made. The minister has also asked the Department of National Defence to work with the other relevant departments and agencies to review this process. Work to do so is currently under way.

During the debate on March 9, our government supported the motion to reinstate tax relief for Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed in Arifjan, Kuwait. The House adopted the motion unanimously that evening.

Our government stands with our men and women in uniform who are doing an extraordinary job serving their country in dangerous places. We are extremely proud of the work they are accomplishing. Our troops that are deployed in various locations in Iraq as part of Operation Impact have been very successful so far in helping local forces defeat Daesh. Together with our allies, they contribute significantly to the global fight against Daesh.

As members of the House are well aware, they are accomplishing a wide variety of tasks in support of the coalition. Our CAF personnel are contributing a great deal to this success, and we remain committed to ensure they are appropriately compensated for the work they do.

[Operation UNIFIER, March 21st, 2017]

Mr. Chair, that is another very good question.

Our aim in the region is to disincentivize Russia and President Putin. Obviously, we have Operation Unifier, but we also have Operation Reassurance. Last summer, we announced an important operation in Latvia. Four hundred and fifty-five soldiers will be deployed to the region. We will be one of the framework nations that makes decisions. We also know that we have a frigate in the region that has joined the maritime forces, as well as ad hoc monitoring through our F-18s. We are doing a number of things.

We are here to support the region and Canada's mission has intensified in that region. Let us not forget that we supported Ukraine last July by signing the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement. Our aim is to strengthen that country. We provided Ukraine with military training, but we are also there on an economic level, as well as to provide humanitarian assistance and support their democratic institutions.

[Operation UNIFIER, March 21st, 2017]

Mr. Chair, that is an excellent question.

Indeed, what we are talking about is the fact that they are partners. We are training them at this time. We are providing training in many areas to ensure that they can have a stable, secure, and sovereign country.