Bryan May

[Questions on the Order Paper, December 14th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, retention is a top priority for National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. As articulated in Canada’s defence policy, “Strong, Secured, Engaged”, people are the most valuable resource in the CAF. It is not simply enough to attract the best and brightest; it is essential to provide the support necessary to ensure a full and fulfilling career and to retain our members and their valuable experience.

The CAF retention strategy presents a renewed approach to managing retention through both broad and targeted activities to improve the experience of all CAF members and empower them to continue a challenging but extremely rewarding career in uniform.

While the strategy will initiate operational and procedural changes, it is also designed to align and work in collaboration with our other efforts to support broader culture change. This includes engaging in measures to ensure that the concerns of all our members are heard and addressed. Additionally, the strategy is designed to grow and evolve as necessary, instituting an evergreen effort to respond to the changing environment around us, the operational needs of the CAF and the needs of our members and their families now and in the future.

In response to parts (a), (c) and (d) of the question, the number of employees across National Defence and the CAF assigned to work on the retention strategy is not centrally tracked. However, a number of working-level civilian and military personnel worked on the retention strategy at various points of its development.

For example, within chief military personnel, CMP, the organization charged with developing the strategy, approximately 10 staff worked on developing the initial draft in 2019. As the strategy progressed over the years leading to publication, the team ranged in size between three and six full-time personnel. During this time, CMP consulted with relevant internal stakeholders, including the vice-chief of the defence staff, Canadian Forces Intelligence Command, Canadian Joint Operations Command, the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the assistant deputy minister of public affairs.

With respect to part (b) of the question, work commenced on the first draft of the strategy in spring 2019. It was released on October 6, 2022.

In response to parts (c) and (d), the only costs associated with the development of the retention strategy were the salaries of the military and civilian personnel supporting the development process. There were no contracts associated with its development.

[Questions on the Order Paper, December 9th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, National Defence is committed to building an inclusive and diverse defence team, free from harassment, discrimination, racism, sexual misconduct and violence.

That is why the Minister of National Defence accepted former Supreme Court Justice Arbour’s independent external comprehensive review in its entirety and welcomed all 48 recommendations in the report. She also committed to immediately implement 17 recommendations.

The minister further committed to updating Parliament by the end of the year and looks forward to doing so.

[Families, Children and Social Development, November 18th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

During question period, I witnessed a non-member of Parliament come to the window door across from me, wave to somebody in the House and start taking photographs with a camera. I think this is an opportunity to mention to all members of the House what the rules are when they have their staff in the House or visitors, and to remind them that those kinds of things are not allowed.

[Remembrance Day, November 4th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, this week, Canadians will be reflecting on the bravery and heroism of veterans and service men and women at Remembrance Day ceremonies across the nation.

In my riding of Cambridge, Remembrance Day activities will be held at cenotaphs in Galt, Preston and Ayr, where veterans, members of the armed forces and local Legion members will join our community to honour those who have served our nation. It is also a time to reflect on the work of historians, artists and educators who have devoted their craft to memorializing our military history.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of John McCrae whose poem, In Flanders Fields, is a national symbol of the sacrifices made during the First World War.

Dave Sopha was a talented Cambridge artist and patriot who painted the Portraits of Honour, a work commemorating the Canadian peacekeepers and deployed soldiers who fought for peace abroad and made the ultimate sacrifice. This year we mourn his passing and reflect on his work and legacy in representing Canadian sacrifice and duty.

Please join me in honouring the lives of veterans and service people on Remembrance Day, as we thank them for their service—

[Questions on the Order Paper, November 3rd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, National Defence conducted a search of its records and found that it does not currently have any LAV III, Kodiaks, that are operational, in service or decommissioned. The majority of the LAV III inventory was converted into LAV 6.0 by General Dynamics Land Systems–Canada, and there have been no resources applied against the remaining LAV III fleet for several years.

Of the 651 LAV III originally procured, the vast majority have been converted and/or consumed as part of armoured vehicle upgrade programs. Specifically, 550 were used for LAV upgrades, five for the air support coordination and control modernization project, and 66 for the LAV reconnaissance and surveillance systems.

The remaining 30 LAV III were to be declared surplus. These vehicles are awaiting sale or disposal and are currently housed at 25 Canadian Forces supply depot in Montreal. Their status is as follows: Three turreted LAV III are planned as artifacts and/or museum pieces. Twenty-seven LAV III have no armaments. As part of the LAV III upgrade project, turrets have been removed from these vehicles.

[Public Services and Procurement, October 17th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, our government has been focused on protecting the health and safety of all Canadians throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. PHAC and CBSA launched ArriveCAN in April 2020 to support the Government of Canada's efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 and ensure border security. The ArriveCAN app cost less than $1 million to develop and to ensure security of privacy and accessibility for all users. We will continue to ensure the safety and protection of all Canadians.

[International Human Rights Act, October 7th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, as I will likely be the final speaker here today before we rise for Thanksgiving, I want to wish everyone in the House, the Speaker, all the staff, the clerks, the pages, who help make everything run, and security a very happy and prosperous Thanksgiving. I am certainly looking forward to getting home and seeing family, as I am sure everyone is.

Canada's commitment to fostering respect for democratic values and the promotion and protection of human rights is long-standing. Over the last 70 years, we have played a prominent role in the development of significant human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Canada is recognized for its system of justice and strong institutions that positively reinforce the rule of law. Canadian expertise is sought to help others strengthen their own efforts to respect human rights, and our government has taken active measures to stand against human rights violations and support the brave work of human rights defenders around the world.

Canada's efforts in this domain are considerable, especially in contexts where impunity for gross and systemic violations of human rights are evident and where there are protracted political crises at play. In such contexts, the international community must be able to signal its concerns and work collectively to change behaviour. Sanctions are a key part of the tool kit that can be deployed.

Bill C-281, introduced in the House of Commons by the member for Northumberland—Peterborough South, seeks to amend the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, also known as the Sergei Magnitsky law. It is within this vein that I wish to speak and elaborate on Canada's robust sanctions regime and our role as a global leader in holding the violators of human rights to account.

In our challenging contemporary landscape, with its mounting disruption and global uncertainty, sanctions remain a valuable tool for addressing the violations of international norms and standards and pressuring states to change their behaviour. Indeed, Canada and the wider international community have worked together for decades to build this strong foundation of peace, prosperity and security for the global community.

Canada continues to stand shoulder to shoulder with our closest allies in the deployment of sanctions as part of a principled but pragmatic approach to foreign policy. Under both of our pieces of autonomous sanctions legislation, the Special Economic Measures Act and the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, Canada has become a global leader in the sanctions effort to end impunity for those who violate international human rights.

I see my time is almost over, so I will simply wrap up by again wishing everyone an amazing long weekend and Thanksgiving. I want to wish all constituents in Cambridge, Ontario, and those across Canada a happy Thanksgiving too.

[National Defence, October 7th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, making sure that our Canadian Armed Forces have the right number of people, the capabilities and the culture that it needs to meet current and emerging threats is our highest priority. The reconstitution directive and retention strategy will help ensure that we can grow and retain talent so that our Canadian Armed Forces can continue to serve Canadians. We remain focused on enabling lasting culture change, creating the best recruitment practices and procuring the right equipment for our Canadian Armed Forces.

[National Defence, September 29th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, we continue making significant progress implementing SSE and making the investments we need to keep Canada strong and safe. Projects like our new fleet of 88 future fighters, our Arctic and offshore patrol ships and our armoured combat support vehicles are all coming to fruition.

We have been able to keep advancing initiatives even through two and a half years of global pandemic. That is because one of the defining features of our defence policy is its flexible funding model. It allows us to effectively manage our operating and capital budgets by adjusting in evolving circumstances. In fact, DND only asks for funding that can be reasonably spent in that given year and can reprofile unspent capital funds to future years.

The member opposite and all Canadians can feel confident knowing that we will continue to invest wisely and responsibly in the Canadian Armed Forces and in the safety and security of our country and its allies.

[National Defence, September 29th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, every day, Canada and our allies count on the Canadian Armed Forces to safeguard our citizens and uphold the rules-based international order that underpins global security and prosperity. As parliamentarians, we need to ensure that the talented professionals of our defence team have the resources they need to keep pace in an increasingly complex threat environment.

Here at home and across the globe, we are seeing the results of a great power competition; the effects of the pandemic on the recruitment, retention and readiness of the CAF members; and the role that climate change plays on defence and security, including in our Arctic region. We need to account for these issues and make sure that we are staying one step ahead if we are to remain strong at home, secure in North America and engaged in the world. Therefore, it is for good reason the Department of National Defence has one of the largest operating and capital budgets in government.

Budget 2022 contains a variety of new investments for our military. We have added $8 billion in new funding on top of funding already forecasted in the departmental plan and in Canada's defence policy, which, as members know, we will be updating to better reflect the evolving security environment.

The hon. member referenced in her original question a recent analysis the Parliamentary Budget Officer released in budget 2022. In the analysis, the PBO commented on the difference between the forecast of the defence spending in a graph in budget 2022 and the forecast in National Defence's most recent departmental plan. However, the budget and the departmental plan are separate documents with two different ways of presenting future spending. This approach is consistent across all departments as part of the expenditure reporting cycle to Parliament. In fact, the $15-billion difference suggested by the member opposite is not a discrepancy at all.

Federal budget 2022 outlined forecasted spending and the departmental plans outline what has been approved at any given time by the Treasury Board and Parliament. As a result, the National Defence departmental plan reflects only capital spending that has been fully approved through the Treasury Board's submission process at the time the report is prepared. The budget, on the other hand, contains future spending not yet approved by Treasury Board, hence the difference in the estimated numbers.

For large departments like DND, this difference appears exaggerated because we only access the money when we need it. In this particular case, the difference is mainly composed of forecasted capital spending and expenses related to military operations. More precisely, the largest difference between the estimated DND planned spending in the budget graph versus the departmental plan is the major SSE capital projects for which DND has not yet sought Treasury Board or parliamentary approvals for the associated supply, which means the associated funding is not in DND's reference levels.

As for CAF operations, the associated incremental funding is only assessed in-year and thus not reflected as planned spending in DND's departmental plan. That would include Operation Impact, Operation Reassurance, Operation Unifier, Operation Artemis and peace support operations.

Canadians can rest assured that the department is committed to responsible stewardship and transparent spending as we work to keep Canadians safe here at home and protect and promote Canadian interests around the world.