House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 42% of the vote.
Questions on the Order Paper November 17th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), full costs to date are unavailable, as the costs of a mission are not available until publication of the annual departmental performance report or 90 days following the end of the mission.
With regard to (b), cost estimates are dynamic and evolve with the refinement of planning and operational assumptions. These estimates are updated regularly to support planning efforts and decision-making, and would therefore be inaccurate.
National Defence November 17th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, all members of our Royal Canadian Navy ships companies are trained in first response firefighting techniques. Clearly, these officers and crew were in the right place at the right time.
I would like to personally commend the efforts of Lieutenant Samuel Gaudreault and Lieutenant Daniel Willis, who first detected the fire and rushed to assist. Leading Seaman Jean-Francois Martineau and Able Seaman Chris Richards then hurried to provide further support. Master Caporal Shirley Jardine and Caporal Jo Boivin, from the ship's air attachment, also provided first aid assistance.
These courageous actions of our members who helped put out this fire once again demonstrate that the Canadian Armed Forces are ready for any challenge. Ready, aye, ready.
National Defence November 17th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, this week a series of coalition missions were conducted where ISIL was known to operate in the area north of Baghdad. An RCAF CF-18 struck an ISIL artillery piece by using laser-guided ammunition in support of Iraqi security forces' ground operations in the area. This denied ISIL the military means to attack either the Iraqi security forces or the coalition assets.
This strike demonstrates Canada's resolve to tackle the threat of terrorism and to stand with our allies against ISIL's atrocities against innocent women, children and men. We condemn these barbaric actions and will continue to support the security forces in Iraq in their fight against these terrorists.
National Defence November 6th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, of course, there are incremental costs to an operation of this size, but there is one thing I know that we can all agree on: even spending one dollar fighting terrorism would be too much for the NDP. They love to talk about Canadian values. Guess what? Fighting oppression and terrorism is a Canadian value. They just do not get it.
National Defence November 6th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, our support for the military has been completely unprecedented. That being said, the tabling of the documents with respect to the estimates shows that an extra $900 million has been allocated to the military, and it increases our budget to over $19 billion. This is a great success story, because we support the military in this party.
National Defence November 5th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, it seems every day we hear new reports of the malicious and despicable acts that ISIL is committing across the Middle East.
Recently, Canada's CF-18s attacked and destroyed engineering equipment that was being used by ISIL to divert the Euphrates River. ISIL's intent was to flood roads and villages, and to divert traffic onto roads that it could then mine with improvised explosive devices.
Depriving ISIL of the means to commit mass atrocities is exactly why the Canadian Armed Forces are involved with this fight. I again want to thank and commend our men and women in uniform for their efforts in this successful strike.
Privacy November 3rd, 2014
Mr. Speaker, nobody has struck a better balance between privacy and protection than this government.
I would point out for the member that she is completely wrong. In his most recent annual report, the independent commissioner, the watchdog, concluded that CSEC continued to operate within the law and respected Canadian privacy.
National Defence November 3rd, 2014
Mr. Speaker, yesterday two CF-18 fighter jets, in coordination with our allies, attacked ISIL targets with laser-guided bombs in the vicinity of Fallujah, Iraq. The mission lasted approximately four hours and included air-to-air refuelling from a Polaris aircraft. All of the aircraft returned safely to base. The military continues to assess the damage and will provide a technical briefing tomorrow.
We will continue to tackle the threat of terrorism. We will stand with our allies against ISIL's atrocities.
I want to thank our men and women in uniform for their work on this very important mission.
National Defence October 30th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I join the hon. member in welcoming home the crew of the HMCS Athabaskan. I am proud of their accomplishments and commend them for their efforts.
The HMCS Athabaskan seamlessly conducted joint operations, supported multiple aircraft patrol sorties, and participated in six intercept operations, one of which resulted in the successful disruption of 820 kilograms of cocaine.
Canada's commitment to Operation Caribbe has contributed to the interception of a significant quantity of illegal narcotics. The Canadian Armed Forces has been involved with this operation since 2006. We remain committed to working with our partners to improve regional security and deter criminal activity in the western hemisphere.
National Defence October 30th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, no member of the armed forces is let go until they are ready to move on. This is why our service and the level of care that is provided by our armed forces is unprecedented. This is why this has continued to be a priority for our government. We want to reach out to those men and women in uniform and give them all the help they need.