House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2025, with 42% of the vote.
National Defence February 3rd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, the minister indicated in the Department of National Defence's performance report that he is going to participate in coalition operations abroad.
Can the minister tell us how he is going to help our allies and fight terrorists by withdrawing our combat forces from Syria and Iraq?
National Defence February 3rd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, the number of terrorist attacks is growing. We have been waiting for weeks to hear the government's plan, but there has been nothing but silence.
Yesterday, reporters asked the Minister of National Defence about Canada's plans, but he referred them to his colleague, the foreign affairs minister, who is currently in Rome.
Will the Minister of National Defence face up to his responsibilities or do I need to ask someone else the question?
National Defence February 1st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, 45 people were killed and 110 more were injured in an attack in Damascus for which ISIS claimed responsibility, but the Minister of National Defence says that his plan is not ready. Seriously?
If the Liberals cannot come up with a plan, why should Canadians trust this government to keep them safe?
National Defence February 1st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I just got back from a NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Washington. Contrary to what the government says, members of Congress and the U.S. State Department are very disappointed that Canadian fighter planes have been withdrawn from Iraq and Syria.
Why is the government bent on ignoring our allies in the fight against the so-called Islamic State?
Business of Supply December 10th, 2015
Madam Speaker, I completely agree with my colleague's comments and I am truly disappointed in the two arguments we heard this morning. The first was that there are excessive costs and that we should bring back the pilots because it is dangerous. I want to restate what my colleague already said: a fighter jet pilot is there to fight. That is to be expected.
As for the other point that the money should be used for other things in our ridings, I want to remind the House that we are at war against ISIS. This is a global war and it is a big one.
National Defence December 10th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, while the international coalition is stepping up air strikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the Prime Minister insists on withdrawing our CF-18s, despite calls from the international coalition.
When will the Prime Minister finally step up and agree to defend Canada's values alongside our allies?
National Defence December 10th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, ISIS has engaged in deadly attacks across the entire world, and it still has Canada in its sights. The government must protect Canadians and fulfill its commitments to our allies.
Withdrawing our CF-18s from Iraq and Syria sends the message that Canada does not take this threat seriously and, even worse, that we are incapable of doing so.
Why is the Prime Minister abandoning the fight against ISIS instead of fighting alongside our allies?
Business of Supply December 10th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, there were two parts to the speech by my hon. colleague on the government side.
In the first part of his speech, he said that we were training Iraqi police to enable them to occupy a stabilized area. However, we are not yet there. The minister is talking as though we are already at this post-war stage, when we are still in the middle of a war.
Furthermore, at the beginning of his speech the minister said that in the past 12 months, the coalition has made significant progress in stopping ISIL and that people are returning to their cities. This confirms that the bombings were effective, since people are returning to their cities. It works.
Will the CF-18s continue to help the coalition?
Business of Supply December 10th, 2015
Madam Speaker, to explain why this will work, we could ask President Obama, President Hollande, and the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Countries decided to form an international coalition. Over 25 countries are involved in the same kind of combat. Top generals, military strategists, who have a great deal more experience than I do, decided that that was the right thing to do. I, sitting here in the House, am not the person to draw up a major military strategy, and I think our allies are strong enough and competent enough that we can follow them, not blindly, but by standing shoulder to shoulder with our partners.
Business of Supply December 10th, 2015
Madam Speaker, today we learned straight from the mouth of our Liberal colleague that this is in fact a financial decision that the Liberals are making. The purpose of withdrawing the CF-18s is to save money. That is news to us. We are making cuts to our forces and ceasing air strikes just to save money.
I take issue when the government says it is going to withdraw our pilots from a mission when in fact it is their job. It is what they do. Their job is to fly CF-18s. The government is withdrawing them from this mission because they might be in danger. In danger of what? We are involved in bombings, not air combat.
We see where the government is heading, and it is insulting.