Peter MacKay

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

Mr. Chair, I would be pleased to do so, and I want to begin by thanking the member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell for his service as a member of Parliament and for his service in uniform. He is one of a number of members of this House who have provided that service to the Canadian Forces.

The Canada first defence strategy has been referred to a number of times this evening already. This very much includes a plan to acquire a new family of combat vehicles and systems. Last summer, we announced plans to produce the next generation of land combat vehicles. In part, this will include the current fleet of LAV IIIs that will be upgraded. We, in fact, have three new fleets of combat vehicles to be acquired: close combat, or CCVs, tactical armoured patrol vehicles, or TAPVs, and the force mobility enhancement, or FME, vehicles.

One of the lessons we have seen in Afghanistan is that this type of vehicle, these highly protective combat vehicles, are so important to ensure that our troops are able to have the right mix of equipment to patrol in these very volatile, very dangerous areas. We have seen the effects, the sad impact IEDs have had on human lives throughout Afghanistan. One of the proud things we are doing, in addition to equipping our soldiers, is a lot of demining, something that Canada is well known for around the world.

We continue to ensure that we have the proper equipment and the proper mix. We continue to invest to ensure that we have the proper protective gear for our men and women in uniform. Certainly light armoured vehicles, the LAV IIIs, have been one of the workhorses in the fleet. The close combat vehicles and the new tactical patrol vehicles, as well, will form part of that fleet, as will the force mobility enhancement project. All of those are well under way. All of those we will be delivering in the future for the Canadian armed forces.

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

Mr. Chair, I thank the member for Wetaskiwin, whom I know is a strong supporter of the Canadian Forces.

He is absolutely right. The refurbishment, or the replacement and renewal, of our tactical air fleet is a big priority for our government. We have made important investments. In fact, a contract valued at approximately $1.4 billion for 17 new Hercules aircraft was awarded to Lockheed Martin. That included the acquisition of the aircraft and the initial set-up. The funds allocated for the capital program itself are just over $3 billion.

With respect to receipt of these aircraft, I am pleased to report on the delivery schedule. The aircraft are expected to begin delivery as soon as the next few weeks. This will be ahead of schedule. We are working very closely with industry on many fronts to see that this is the case. These aircraft are needed. The aircraft in the previous fleet have been the workhorses, as he has described quite accurately, of the Canadian Forces when it comes to tactical lift. These, in conjunction with the C-17 aircraft, make the Canadian air force a very capable, quickly deployable force, as we saw in Haiti and as we have seen in other missions when have been able to get there, have boots on the ground, and have a strategic effect. This type of aircraft is so critically important.

This contract, as others, required a lot of input from a lot of departments. There is incredible coordination that goes on in contracts such as this, but I am pleased to report that this contract has gone extremely well. We will take receipt of those new aircraft at CFB Trenton very soon.

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

Mr. Chair, as is often the case, we are constantly in a state of consultation to determine the needs and then respond appropriately.

These joint personnel support units. as I mentioned earlier, comprise 19 different units now based around the country. These are a very diverse approach to being inclusive, to allowing greater access to use the perhaps crude phrase of one stop shopping and to allow for Canadian Forces personnel veterans and their families to go in. They are located in Vancouver, Esquimalt, Calgary, Edmonton, Wainwright, Winnipeg, Shilo, Toronto, Kingston and right across the country. They are there to improve the quality of care and service provided to ill and injured. They are there to ensure the personnel have the same level across the country of a high standard of care and support.

These units are an investment that we have made as a government that have proved to be extremely valuable.

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

I am pleased to report, Mr. Chair, that the navy has achieved 97% of its recruiting goals. Furthermore, attrition rates were lower this year, 2010, than in previous years. Therefore, that allows us to meet those requirements. Within the navy, because of some of the technical trades themselves and the highly competitive job market, there are certain trades that do have openings.

I would take this opportunity to invite those who may be listening at home to look at the navy as a career. This is an unprecedented time in terms of the opportunity that exists and the educational opportunities that are there. The army, navy and air force will pick up the tab for their education. The army, navy and air force have an incredible opportunity to travel and see the world and to participate at an exciting time of growth and regeneration within the Canadian Forces. The navy is--

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

To come to that question directly, Mr. Chair, for clarification, the reserves were at 5,000 and they are actually up to 8,000 now because of the operational tempo. We are above and beyond what would be considered a normal or stable state for class B reservists. As the operational tempo in the future will change post-2011, we will see that normalize.

This is not an issue of chopping or cutting. This is an issue of adjusting to the circumstances in which we find ourselves in the Canadian Forces based on operational tempo and based on need. We constantly do that, as the House would expect. We re-evaluate. It is a credit to those men and women that we have that flexibility to be able to accommodate the type of mission, particularly the high tempo mission that we are seeing in Afghanistan.

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

Mr. Chair, I will begin by properly recognizing and praising the work of our reservists. They, in many instances, as is the case in Afghanistan today, do remarkable work in supporting our overall missions. In the case of Afghanistan, they sometimes make up between 20% and 25% of a rotation. They are very much an important part of the overall Canadian Forces contribution.

However, as is often the case, we experience various levels of operational tempo, which determines the priorities of the Canadian Forces, priority missions like Afghanistan which is an incredibly complex mission that calls on reservists and regular forces through various rotations. Approximately $80 million of the army's budget were reallocated for the operational priorities.

With respect to army reserves, budgets remain very much on track with appropriate levels of funding for individual and collective training. In normal times for the department, we always re-examine our budgets based on various times of year, based on quarterly reports and based on the needs, both equipment and personnel. We continue to do that.

With respect to reserves, we are appreciative of the fact that they are--

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

In the interest of time, Mr. Chair, I will undertake to bring those specific answers and they will be noted in the record.

The short answer is that there is greater flexibility than we have ever seen in the Canadian Forces today in terms of an individual's ability to make career choices, to move from reserve to regular force and, in some cases, back to reserve. There are incredible opportunities within the Canadian Forces today and many challenges to fill some of the trades that provide incredible capability for service within the Canadian Forces and for other applications within the job market.

When it comes to project managers and individual decisions around personnel, all of these decisions are taken in consultation with the senior leadership, including the CDS and our chief of personnel. We continue to work very closely to see that all of the needs, both at home and abroad, are being met through our personnel.

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

Mr. Chair, to answer the member's last question first, we are still developing a plan. Much of the equipment that we are using in Afghanistan today, particularly the armoured vehicles, have a lot of wear and tear and the intention is to bring the vast majority, if not all, of that equipment back. We have received requests, as we expected, from the Afghan national army. It would like to inherit, if I can use that word, much of this equipment. However, there is still some operational life in much of this equipment that can be used to train and used for future deployments.

With respect to the specifics of the $3 billion and the breakdown, I will certainly undertake to provide my colleague with those specific details given the amount of time that I would have to respond.

As far as acquisition, under this particular vote we have heavy lift helicopter projects, tactical airlift capability, Maritime helicopter projects, tank replacement projects and land combat vehicle projects, all of which are covered in various forms and amounts. We will ensure that those details are made available to the member.

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

Mr. Chair, as I said, it is an ongoing plan. Of course there is a plan, that is one thing I think we have all come to understand very clearly about the Canadian Forces. There are always plans, there are always contingencies, and there is always a need in a high tempo period which we are experiencing.

With respect to previous comments I made about full-time mental health professionals, we have 378 and we are hiring more. When we compare to our NATO allies just as a benchmark, Canadian Forces have the greatest ratio of mental health care workers to soldiers. The establishment for mental health care workers in the Canadian Forces will allow us to hire more of those individuals, more social workers, more psychiatrists, more psychologists, and more mental health nurses. All of these trained professionals will help to address those needs.

We also have programs that the hon. member may be aware of, the “Be the difference campaign”, which encourages awareness, which encourages fellow soldiers to support one another. The Chief of the Defence Staff has been a very outspoken advocate for this approach. He was recognized nationally by the Canadian Mental Health Society for that work. Operational stress disorder is a major issue in the Canadian Forces. We have suicide prevention campaigns, a speakers bureau to ensure that there is greater public awareness. So yes, we will continue to work with all--

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

Mr. Chair, I agree that we cannot do enough particularly when it comes to individuals who have sacrificed so much. I would be certainly proud, as he is, of the previous contributions that have been made including from his illustrious ancestor. That is so indicative of so many Canadians who have done so much including the recent generation.

With respect to post-traumatic stress disorder, every country, including ours, is still in a learning mode, but we have come a long way. We have stood up 19 joint personnel support centres across the country where there are, in essence, numerous officers made available to members of the Canadian Forces, their families and veterans. We have recognized that the issue around post-traumatic stress disorder is a genuine injury that must be treated.

We have also invested greatly in skilled mental health professionals and are working toward doubling those number of mental health professionals available to the military and their families. We have today over 370 full-time mental health professionals. We are working to hire more. We will continue to reach out to get the best care for patient to caregiver ratio.

We do work very closely with Veterans Affairs, as he has enquired, to ensure that the current generation and the former generation of military personnel will receive continuing care and that necessary care as we work with them. Currently, 646 Canadian Forces personnel suffer from PTSD, so we recognize that the challenges remain.