Julian Fantino

[Business of Supply, May 15th, 2012]

Madam Chair, as you will know, the war of 1812-1814 was a defining moment in Canadian history and contributed a sense of pride and identity to the growing national consciousness. The memory of the struggle and the heroic sacrifices made in defence of the country would help lay the foundation for Confederation in 1867 and for the development of Canada as we know it today.

Through the collective efforts of a diverse population of anglophone, francophone and aboriginal peoples of Canada, together with military forces from Great Britain, successive American invasions of Canada were turned back.

As proud as I am of today's men and women who serve in the Canadian Forces, I am equally proud of those who have gone before us.

Could the minister please outline for the House and for all Canadians some of the special events that Parks Canada is involved in that will mark this historic anniversary?

[National Defence, May 15th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that premise is absolutely incorrect.

The Government of Canada is taking action to ensure that due diligence, oversight and transparency are firmly embedded in the process to replace Canada's aging fighter aircraft. We are following a seven step action plan to fulfill and exceed the Auditor General's recommendation. We are going to stick to that and do the best we can for our men and women in the Canadian Forces, as well as Canadians.

[National Defence, May 15th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that is far from the truth.

We have, as was indicated, accepted the findings. We are acting on the recommendation of the Auditor General. There is a seven step plan in place. We intend to honour that stepped plan. There is a secretariat in place that will put finite numbers to the issues that the Auditor General was concerned about.

[Questions on the Order Paper, May 14th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has not yet purchased a replacement fleet of aircraft for the current CF-18 fighter jets. As a result, no arrangements for pilot training for the replacement fleet have been finalized.

[National Defence, May 14th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for her hard work on behalf of the men and women in our military.

This modernized Hercules aircraft is bigger, can fly faster and further and hold more passengers and cargo than our previous model. It was key to have the aging fleet replaced without any operational gaps.

I am proud to say that we accomplished this task successfully. The new aircraft has completed critical missions around the world and has been heavily involved in many search and rescue operations.

On Friday, at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, the air force took delivery of the last of the 17 new Hercules aircraft.

[National Defence, May 14th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the government has clearly communicated that the budget has been set to replace Canada's aging CF-18s and we will stay within that budget. Canada has not signed a contract and has not spent any money on acquiring replacement aircraft.

We will not proceed with a purchase until the seven-step action plan has been outlined and completed and developmental work is sufficiently advanced.

[National Defence, May 14th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that premise is absolutely absurd. We accept the conclusions of the Auditor General, as we have stated. There is an action plan being implemented. We will await the recommendations and make decisions based upon those recommendations by the secretariat.

It is really regrettable that so many things are taken out of context and put forward as fact when, in fact, they are not.

[National Defence, May 14th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has taken action to ensure that due diligence, oversight and transparency are firmly embedded in the process to replace Canada's aging fighter aircraft. We are following a seven-step action plan to fulfill and/or exceed the Auditor General's recommendation. This includes freezing the funding and establishing a separate secretariat outside National Defence to lead this project moving forward.

[Business of Supply, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, the actual fact is the pre-emptive work being done to ensure the production is a smooth production is ongoing. This will ensure that come the actual completion of the project, we will in essence have achieved some significant benefits with the upfront work being done in co-operation with the shipbuilder.

These offshore patrol ships are a key part of the national shipbuilding procurement strategy. The project timelines were not updated because the project did not have the opportunity to engage with shipyards and verify the predictable timelines with the national shipbuilding strategy that was not in place at that time.

[Business of Supply, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, I want to also clear up my comments earlier with regard to the Canadian Surface Combatant. This is in definition phase, planned for summer 2012.

In any event, the government is establishing strategic relationships with Vancouver Shipyards and Irving Shipbuilding, the two Canadian shipyards selected for the construction of large ships, both combat and non-combat. Our government has taken a leadership role in bringing the boom–bust cycle to an end in our national shipbuilding industry. The strategy will create considerable opportunity for Canada's marine industry in all regions by contributing to the building of large ships, competing to build smaller ships and conducting life extension, refit and repair work. Industry analysts have estimated that the government shipbuilding projects would contribute directly and indirectly to some 15,000 Canadian jobs and over $2 billion in annual economic benefit for the next 30 years.

For the first time, our shipbuilding industry will have stable, secure work that will allow it to invest in the latest technology, develop highly skilled workforces and regain Canada's shipbuilding reputation. Our ships will be made in Canada by Canadians.

The previous government sat by watching our domestic shipbuilding capacity crumble as more and more Canadians lost their jobs. This government, our government, has taken a proactive role to ensure we have jobs, industrial capacity and an economically viable model. In a process that even the opposition parties have applauded, we have achieved two important goals. We have ensured the future strength of Canada's shipbuilding industry and we have maintained our domestic capacity to equip our Royal Canadian Navy, Coast Guard, research and science vessels. I believe Canadians would well be proud of the work that we are doing.