Rona Ambrose

[National Defence, May 4th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to defence issues, the Liberals cannot be trusted. After he cut $12 billion from Canada's defence budget, the finance minister said that our military was appropriately provisioned. Now the defence minister, after he was caught misleading Canadians about his military service record, is promising to restore the funding that his government cut in the first place. The problem is that, now, no one believes what these guys say. The only way for the government to begin to regain the confidence of our troops is for the minister to step aside. When will he?

[National Defence, May 4th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, this is unbelievable. He is actually misleading Canadians again and misleading this House again about this particular issue around compensation for the troops who are fighting the fight against ISIS. Right here, I have a document—I looked at it before question period—signed by the minister himself that clearly states the exact opposite of what he just said.

When is the minister going to stop misleading Canadians and misleading the House and, frankly, step aside?

[National Defence, May 4th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, there is a saying that a soldier has the right to complain, but the Prime Minister and the defence minister are actively denying that right to our soldiers who were deployed in the fight against ISIS. The defence minister made a promise to give back the benefits he took away from those troops. Now he has broken that promise and he is clamping down on those who dare speak out.

Here we have yet another example of the defence minister minister breaking his word to our military. Can he not see why he has lost their confidence?

[National Defence, May 4th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence may have apologized for embellishing his service record, but it is not enough. His claim of being the architect of operation Medusa, a claim that he made at least twice, when it was not true, was intended for one thing: to make him look good as a Liberal politician. This is a violation of the honour expected of men and women in uniform. He has now lost their trust and their respect. As a result, he simply cannot continue in the job that he has.

After what he has done, does he really think staying on is the best situation for the troops?

[National Defence, May 4th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, what the Minister of National Defence did was not a mistake, and he cannot solve the problem by trying to avoid the storm. On at least two occasions, he embellished his record and took credit for the work of others. He did so to look good as a Liberal politician. This is inexcusable, particularly for a member of the armed forces. He simply cannot keep his portfolio after what he did.

Why are the minister and the Prime Minister having such a hard time understanding this?

[National Defence, May 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, saying sorry for one day while offering no real explanation is not good enough, not when someone is the defence minister and he misled Canadians about his military service record. The Minister of National Defence's reputation among our Canadian Armed Forces will be forever tarnished by his actions and his failure to properly atone for them. The only thing that is going to fix this is someone new and a fresh start. Will the Prime Minister please do the right thing and move his defence minister?

[National Defence, May 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the defence minister promised the organizers of this event— it is called “To the 'Stan and Back”—that he would be there to support the troops. This is an annual event that raises funds for our veterans and their families. He, of all people, knows why this is important. Sadly, but for no apparent reason, the defence minister cancelled. However, I think we all know why.

If our veterans cannot rely on the defence minister to do his job, why should the Prime Minister?

[National Defence, May 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, by keeping the defence minister where he is, the Prime Minister is proving yet again that he has no respect for our military. Last night the defence minister had the perfect opportunity to personally apologize to veterans of the Afghanistan campaign at a fundraiser for Afghan vets. He was supposed to be there, but clearly he felt so uncomfortable that he cancelled.

I would like to ask the Prime Minister, if the defence minister's reputation with our troops has become so damaged that he cannot even meet with them, why is he still the defence minister?

[National Defence, May 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that the Liberal Party has a long history of disrespecting our troops. The fact that this defence minister is still in place is just further evidence of that. This is the party that sent our soldiers into the Afghanistan desert wearing green camouflage, the party that forced our military to hitch rides from our allies, and the party that oversaw the decade of darkness in our military. Now it is at it again.

Why should Canadians believe anything Liberals say about our military?

[National Defence, May 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, by keeping his Minister of National Defence, the Prime Minister is again showing that he has no respect for the military. Yesterday the minister had an opportunity to personally apologize to Afghanistan veterans while fundraising for their families, but he cancelled.

If the defence minister's reputation with our troops is so damaged that he cannot even meet with them, why is he still the defence minister?