Peter MacKay

[National Defence, November 29th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure you, the member opposite and the House that the Department of National Defence takes the handling of secure, secret information very seriously, as it does all national security matters. I can also tell the House that this is not something that I or anyone else should be discussing on the floor of the House of Commons or publicly.

The member is a lawyer. He would also know that the matter is still before the courts. For that reason, we will not discuss this matter publicly.

[National Defence, November 28th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, as I just indicated, and the record is clear, I have appeared before parliamentary committees some 33 times. With respect to what was in the supplementary estimates (B), that is exactly what I was there to answer questions on. It just so happens that the member's particular question was not found in the estimates this year because they were not included in the estimates this year.

However, what I do know and what is factual and what is clearly before the House and before Canadians is that every improvement, every new initiative, every program, every plan to improve things for Canadian Forces veterans and their families, the member and that party oppose.

[National Defence, November 28th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has been here awhile and I remind him I have appeared before parliamentary committees some 31 times. I have appeared before his committee 11 times. I have appeared on the floor of the House of Commons for a parliamentary committee of the whole.

When it comes to these questions as to what are ruled in and out of order, that is for the committee. I was there. I was invited to come to the committee. I answered the questions. The member and some of his fellow travellers spent time procedural wrangling rather than posing questions to me.

[National Defence, November 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his strong support of the forces and the opportunity to highlight the courageous work of Canadian Forces search and rescue technicians.

Yesterday, the heroic efforts of three members of the 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron in Trenton were recognized for their work. Sergeant Janick Gilbert, Master Corporal Max Lahaye-Lemay and Master Corporal Marco Journeyman received the prestigious International Maritime Organization Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for their efforts last year to save two hunters stranded in icy waters near Igloolik, Nunavut. Tragically, Sergeant Gilbert perished during this rescue. Our thoughts are of him and his family. They will be forever remembered by a grateful nation, and we thank them for their dedicated service to Canada.

[National Defence, November 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that member's righteous indignation would seem a little more sincere if he had fixed it on his watch. However, we know that is not the case.

The reality is that we have every intention of treating reservists the same way we treat regular force members. We will be acting on the recommendations put forward by the ombudsman. We will follow the law and the legislation with respect to our interaction and relationship with the Canadian Forces ombudsman.

[National Defence, November 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I repeat again for the edification of the member opposite, we are acting on these recommendations. We will fulfill our obligation to reservists. We are going to continue to work with the ombudsman in a fair, open and transparent fashion, as we always have, within the mandate of the ombudsman. That is what we intend to do, within the mandate and within the law.

It is interesting, coming from the member opposite. I know what he is not, and that is an advocate for the Canadian Forces. He is not a person who gets up here every day and supports our efforts to give our men and women in uniform the support they need.

[National Defence, November 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, 10 out of 12 does not seem like a spectacular failure to me, and as I indicated, we will be acting on the remaining recommendations. I would point out that I have spoken to departmental officials about urgently acting on those recommendations. I have informed Canadians, as well as all members of the Canadian Forces, that reservists will be treated fairly. In the final analysis, that is what we are striving to achieve. We are committed to ensuring that progress is made toward fair and equitable treatment of reservists, acknowledging the enormous contribution that they have made in Afghanistan and throughout their service to the Canadian armed forces.

[National Defence, November 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated last week, 10 of the 12 recommendations made by the ombudsman have been acted upon. In fact, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank reservists for the important role they play in the Canadian Forces.

The delay in the implementation, as the minister mentioned, with respect to the necessary changes to ensure there is equal coverage for reservists, is unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that we are acting on this issue and we hope to resolve it very soon.

[Ethics, November 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the strong mandate we received from Canadians to support the Canadian Forces. That includes making infrastructure investments at Goose Bay and at various military bases across the country. It involves making investments in improving programs for members of the armed forces, their families and veterans.

What we do know from the NDP, the no defence party, is that it opposes us in all of these important investments that improve the way in which the Canadian Forces carries out its important work at home and abroad.

[National Defence, November 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that is incorrect. We have made progress on 10 of the ombudsman's 12 recommendations. We have continued to work on this issue.

As I just said a moment ago, we continue to work very productively with the ombudsman's office and we will do so within his mandate and within the law. It is that simple. That is what would be expected.