National Defence committee  Over the course of our history, morale has gone up and down. It's not a constant. We're facing a particularly challenging time right now, as are all Canadians. We're not immune to the challenges out there in society. It's important to realize that our troops, our people, continue to do excellent things here at home and around the world.

National Defence committee  I could discuss a large list of initiatives and different activities that we're undertaking. There is no one single silver bullet for culture change. It's a number of initiatives top down and also bottom up. I will say, at its root, we need to address the exclusionary aspects of our culture.

National Defence committee  I get irked when I hear stories like that, so I have to get the details and look into it more. From the sounds of it, it's something that needs to get sorted out.

National Defence committee  I understand that we don't have a heck of a lot of time here. I will try to make this concise. I'm very concerned about what the future security environment entails because Canada is no longer as safe as it once was or once thought itself to be. I believe the Canadian Armed Forces is going to be increasingly called upon to address security threats around the world and to protect Canada and Canadians here at home.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, I don't have a prepared opening statement, but I will say a few words. Minister Anand talked about an inflection point, and I see the Canadian Armed Forces on the cusp of so much change right now. We are seeing so much change in the international security environment as geopolitics take a turn for the worst.

National Defence committee  Thank you very much for your question. We are currently ensuring that we have enough pilots, technicians and personnel to be able to operate this new aircraft. It's a matter of recruitment and retention. The air force is participating actively in this process.

National Defence committee  Thank you very much to the member for her question. I would like to add a few comments. For us, the policy on official languages is essential. It is also important to provide training in both official languages. Bilingual instructors need to be found for each course. From time to time, that is difficult, but it's our objective.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, thank you for the opportunity to add to my minister's comments. We remain very closely engaged with NATO as we take a look at what is happening on the eastern flank. In fact, just eight hours ago I was talking with NATO counterparts about the possibilities as we develop options for reinforcing.