Julian Fantino

[Business of Supply, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, the premise that the hon. member put forward is absolutely fraught with misinformation, miscommunication and misunderstandings. I give him charity for that.

However, let me inform the hon. member opposite of facts. The Globemaster project, delivered; the C-130J Hercules project, delivered; lightweight towed Howitzers, delivered; medium to heavy lift helicopters implementation, in progress; fixed-wing search and rescue, in definition phase; Arctic offshore patrol ships, in definition phase; joint support ships, in definition phase; Canadian surface combatants, in definition phase; force mobility enhancement, in implementation; light armoured vehicle LAV III upgrades, in implementation; tactical armoured patrol vehicle, definition; medium support vehicle, definition; tank replacement project, implementation; military personnel management capability transformation, definition.

Mr. Chair, I am proud of the work that we are doing to support our men and women in uniform. With the NDP, none of this would happen. It is totally and absolutely non-supportive of any assets for our military.

[Business of Supply, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, Canadian Forces missions in Afghanistan and Libya highlight the secure exchange of information between headquarters. Formation of units is a critical part of the success of modern military operations. The Government of Canada is participating with its military allies in the Wideband Global Satcom system, also known as Mercury Global. This partnership provides Canada with access to satellite systems, further strengthening secure communications during our missions and cooperation with our closest military friends and allies around the world.

It enables Canada to be a part of a global satellite system of additional bandwidth and communications capabilities, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and combat support information necessary for missions today. This agreement will not only support Canadian Forces' requirements for strategic satellite communications for the next two decades, it will also be at a lower cost than the Canadian Forces would pay to maintain the status quo.

This is yet another example of our government's leadership. It demonstrates how we continue to provide value to taxpayers. At a cost of $337.3 million over the 20-year timeframe, Mercury Global represents a significant cost saving over planned expenditures on short-term lease of satellite communications capabilities.

Finally, this forward-thinking, decades-long approach is indicative of the careful consideration that National Defence and the Canadian Forces take when dealing with taxpayer dollars.

[Business of Supply, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, I feel a sense of duty to acknowledge the service to Canada or Canadian armed forces by the hon. member. I want to thank him for his dedication to duty, having served honourably as he has for many years.

The light armoured vehicle is the Canadian army's primary fighting vehicle. It is used for quickly and safely moving infantry on the battlefield, combining defensive protection and firepower necessary to protect against such threats as mines and improvised explosive devices.

Major upgrades to the light armoured vehicles will dramatically improve the safety of our soldiers. As operating environments and future threats evolve, the Canadian Forces must be prepared to counter threats through the improvements in our vehicles and equipment. We are doing that on an ongoing basis. These improvements have been influenced by lessons learned during recent operations in Afghanistan as well as technological advancements. The light armoured vehicle upgrades will provide our troops with improved protection, mobility, firepower and surveillance in order to safely and effectively carry out their missions.

The vehicles receive a completely new lower hull, including engine, transmission, wheels, suspension and mine-resistant protection. In addition, the turret will receive a major redesign, and new fire control systems for the gunner and commander. These upgrades ensure that the light armoured vehicle remains a truly state-of-the-art combat vehicle.

The first vehicles will be delivered to the army within a year. I am proud to say that hundreds of hard-working, skilled Canadians are making these improvements in factories in London, Edmonton and across Canada. I had the great honour and privilege of being among them as we unveiled this new program, dedicated to making our men and women in uniform safer as they engage in very difficult and dangerous circumstances.

[Business of Supply, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, I am surprised at the bantering by the member opposite but I respect his point of view. What he needs to do is research his own party's edict for why it is that Canada is now engaged in this process. It was his government that signed Canada up to this multinational joint strike fighter program. He should be acquainted with those answers.

The member needs to remember that we will ascribe to the recommendation made by the Auditor General. We will ascertain the facts that he chose as necessary in decision making going forward. We are moving forward with that seven-step action plan.

The member opposite needs to be respectful of the Auditor General's findings.

[Business of Supply, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, the position of the Government of Canada is that we have accepted the Auditor General's recommendation and we are following that recommendation.

The fact is that the third step in the seven step plan is that National Defence will continue to evaluate options to sustain a Canadian Forces fighter capability well into the 21st century and that is what we are doing.

[Business of Supply, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, the simple answer is that National Defence will continue to evaluate options to sustain the Canadian Forces' fighter capability well into the 21st century. That is what we said we would do and that is what we will do.

[Business of Supply, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, the fact is that one of the aspects of the moving forward strategy is to continue to evaluate options available to us. I again want to emphasize the fact that we have taken serious action with respect to the Auditor General's recommendations. We are following those steps in order to ultimately arrive at a decision based on facts and not speculation.

[Business of Supply, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, I am very pleased to convey to the hon. member opposite what the seven steps are: one, the funding envelope allocated for the acquisition of the CF-18 replacement fleet has been frozen; two, National Defence, through the secretariat, will provide annual updates to Parliament and the Canadian public; three, National Defence will continue to evaluate options to sustain the Canadian Forces fighter capability well into the 21st century; four, Treasury Board will commission an independent review on costs; five, Treasury Board will ensure procurement policies are followed and properly executed; six, Industry Canada will identify the economic opportunities and benefits; and seven, a secretariat will be established.

[Business of Supply, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, the member opposite may be entitled to his opinion but he is not entitled to invent his own facts.

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 exceed the Auditor General's recommendations. This includes freezing acquisition funding and establishing a separate secretariat to lead this project, and its work has already begun.

As a result, the government is taking seven steps to fulfill and exceed the Auditor General's recommendations, and I can itemize those for him. In any event, no decision has been taken and we will await the findings of the secretariat before we make any definitive decisions.

[Business of Supply, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, we accept the recommendation made by the Auditor General. We are acting on it.

If I may, this initiative will provide the Department of National Defence, as well as Canada's aerospace industry, with an excellent opportunity to be involved in one of the most exciting aerospace programs of the 21st century. “Our participation will greatly enhance the interoperability with our allies which is one of our key defence objectives.” Who said that? The Hon. Art Eggleton on February 7, 2002.