Peter MacKay

[Flooding in Montérégie, June 7th, 2011]

What I can confirm, Mr. Speaker, is that within 24 hours after predeploying, we had hundreds of Canadian Forces members on the ground in the region supporting the people who were suffering from this flood.

In total, over 844 soldiers helped to protect thousands of acres of farmland. They built two major dikes that needed repair. They put 224,000 sandbags in place and helped community members. They did check visits, went to residences with assistance, water and food. This was an outstanding effort by members of the Canadian Forces.

[National Defence, June 7th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate advice from the member opposite in the Liberal Party on how to get along internally within a party. That is something I will keep very much in mind in the future.

However, with respect to the ongoing costs of maintaining a logistic hub in the Middle East, which is very important in supporting our ongoing efforts in Afghanistan and in fact throughout the region, there will be information forthcoming.

[Flooding in Montérégie, June 6th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Forces will remain in these regions during the emergency period to provide assistance to the civilian authorities, until their specific skills are no longer needed.

The member would know that the regional minister for Quebec attended the flood-ravaged area, as did the Minister of Veterans Affairs and myself.

Our thoughts are certainly with the people of the region. We will continue to work with them as members of the Canadian Forces continue to go about their important work there.

[Afghanistan, June 6th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as the member for St. John's East knows full well, we have been open and transparent about Canada's involvement in the mission in Afghanistan.

We have debated this issue a number of times here in the House of Commons. We take the member's questions on a regular basis and I look forward to doing so in the coming session of Parliament.

[National Defence, June 6th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the new defence critic for the Liberal Party and assure him that relations between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and I are on good terms.

I can also tell the member that his figures are completely wrong. Those numbers are completely false. What we have done, obviously, is to make arrangements to have logistic hubs in parts of the Middle East that allow us to continue the logistic support for the ongoing mission in Afghanistan. That is the intention of the department, nothing more than that.

[Flooding in Montérégie, June 6th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, along with the hon. member and all Canadians, we are very sympathetic to the plight of those affected by the floods not only in Quebec but in Manitoba, as well those who are suffering in Saskatchewan.

As members know, the Prime Minister has been in the region this morning. We have Canadian soldiers who have been on the ground within 24 hours after being contacted by the Province of Quebec. They continue to work with the province to the best of their ability to help mitigate the damage there, continuing their efforts as we speak. There are 500 soldiers there currently and we congratulate them on that incredible effort.

[Questions on the Order Paper, March 25th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, no private sector consultants have been hired to assess the feasibility and technical capabilities of the F-35.

[Questions on the Order Paper, March 25th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), the $9.3 billion Afghanistan cost reported in the reports on plans and priorities includes incremental costs for the mission from 2001 to 2011 as well as close-out costs such as reconstitution, i.e., the costs arising from returning equipment to its pre-mission state, and redeployment once the mission ends.

In response to (b), the costs associated with the closure of Camp Mirage are one aspect of the greater context of Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan, and have yet to be finalized.

In response to (c), the source of funds remains to be determined.

[Government Appointments, March 25th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member is feeling the heat.

Let us consider one fact. The previous Liberal government actually spent more money on the development of the F-35s than the current Conservative government and yet we intend to buy it and they want to cancel it.

Does the Liberal Party really believe that we would invest millions of dollars into an aircraft to build it for other countries and not to buy it? I think it secretly would buy it.

However, the reality is that our government intends to support the men and women in uniform and give them the equipment they need to do the dangerous jobs we ask of them.

[National Defence, March 25th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, none of that is true, as the hon. member himself knows. Professional public servants have looked at the Parliamentary Budget Officer's numbers and they reject his methodology.

The reality is that we will be buying these aircraft at the best price. They are the best aircraft, in fact, the only aircraft available.

We will take no lessons from the member opposite and his party, which gutted the Canadian Forces during its time in office, which cancelled important helicopter programs and is prepared to do the same thing and put men and women in jeopardy with underfunded equipment.

That is what we get with the Liberal Party.