Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the truth here. The NORAD commitments and the NATO commitments were commitments made as a nation and every government that comes into power is obligated to meet those expectations. We are not willing to risk manage the gap. We are not willing to risk manage both our NORAD and NATO commitments simultaneously.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, I do talk to my chief military adviser General Vance. I do talk to the air force as well. Our government has commitments to NORAD and to NATO and to satisfy these commitments we cannot do this simultaneously. That is the capability gap that we talk about. The previous government knew about this gap but it never told Canadians about it and it did nothing about it.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, the member opposite should not take the words out of context. Our NORAD and NATO obligations have not changed. The only thing that has changed is that our government is not willing to risk manage our commitments. We are going to make sure that we have all of the necessary capabilities, all of the necessary aircraft to be able to fill all of these obligations.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, the only thing that has changed right now is that we are going to make sure our Canadian Armed Forces have the right tools to fulfill all of the work. A lot of work has been done. Our obligation to NORAD and NATO, and any unforeseen circumstance is extremely important.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, let us make it very clear in terms of math here. We have a NORAD obligation that has not changed from the previous government to now. We have a NATO obligation as well. When we combine the two, right now we do not have enough operational aircraft to meet both commitments simultaneously, let alone any unforeseen things.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, regrettably, the situation is ongoing. I have been receiving reports while I have been sitting here. When I have more information, I will update Canadians and the House when I can. Our hearts and prayers are with the families. Search and rescue is on station at this moment.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, regrettably, I can confirm that one CF-18 has crashed near Cold Lake. Search and rescue has been dispatched and is on station. I will have more information as it comes in.

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, as I stated, we are committed to peace operations. We are getting all the necessary information and working within the whole of government aspect with my colleagues. The goal is to have this information before the new year. I look forward to sharing all this information with the House and Canadians as well.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the work that Canada is doing around the world, especially when it comes to our Canadian Armed Forces. Whether it is currently in Iraq or an upcoming mission in NATO, and the peace operation that we will be conducting as well, we know the risks. We will make sure that our Canadian Armed Forces have the right tools and the right training to fulfill those missions.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, it is sobering and disappointing to know that members continue to be victimized and feel threatened in their work environment, but these survey results are critical for all of us in understanding the true scope and nature of the institution's problems. The findings will assist the Canadian Armed Forces to focus our efforts in the areas of greatest concern.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, General Vance, the chief of the defence staff, has launched a plan. It is called “Operation Honour”, and this survey was part of that plan to get the full extent of the situation. Now this provides the necessary information to continue to evolve the plan, moving forward.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, sexual misconduct of any kind is completely unacceptable, and will not be tolerated. Through Operation Honour, the Canadian Armed Forces remains fully committed to eliminating harmful, inappropriate sexual behaviour within its ranks. I sincerely thank the over 43,000 Canadian Armed Forces members who participated in the survey on sexual misconduct.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, we are investing in the Canadian Armed Forces. We are going to have an open and transparent competition, making sure that any company that meets the requirements will be able to compete. In the interim, we are going to be filling the capability gap and not risk-managing as the previous government did.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, one, we do have a capability gap. I have spoken with the member opposite, who is the former parliamentary secretary to the minister of national defence, and he knows the numbers and the operational commitments that we have. Right now, we currently cannot meet those commitments simultaneously.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, the previous government decided to risk manage the capability gap. Our government is not willing to take this risk. We are going to be investing in the Canadian Armed Forces. That is why we are going to have an interim fleet of new aircraft to fill this gap, making sure we can meet all our obligations to NORAD, NATO, and any unforseen situations.