House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 49% of the vote.
National Defence February 19th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I agree with hon. member opposite about the atrocities that ISIL is committing, but I would also remind him that with an enemy like this that commits these atrocities, we cannot take it out from the air. It can only be done on the ground. This is the reason we are tripling our training capacity and doubling our intelligence, so that we can actually work as part of a coalition and defeat ISIS finally.
National Defence February 18th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the hon. member that, when we work as part of a coalition, the coalition has the full capabilities. The coalition will have air strike capability. We are adding our own additional capability. We are adding exactly what the coalition needs, because the defeat of ISIL can only happen on the ground. That is also why the intelligence assets are needed. Canadians have a tremendous amount of experience that has been gained, and this is exactly what we are going to be providing.
National Defence February 18th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member also knows, I have served alongside members. I know the families are ultimately impacted. When it comes to the safety of our personnel, I take it very seriously.
Having travelled into the region twice, I can also mention some of the capabilities that were not brought in, and one was anti-armour capability. This is one of the reasons I have taken meticulous effort to making sure we have the right capabilities for our deployed personnel, making sure they have everything they need and they have full capability.
I can assure the member that they are well trained because I have been alongside them in the past.
National Defence February 18th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the safety of our personnel, our generals take this extremely seriously. When we deploy any type of personnel, the full rules of engagement and the appropriate defensive measures will always be there.
I can assure the member that our current members have the full array of support that the coalition has, and we have even added additional capability.
I would also like to remind the member that defeating ISIL will only happen on the ground, and that is the reason we have tripled our training capacity.
National Defence February 18th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, the constant discussion is about F-35s. I am committed to actually replacing the F-18 to make sure we have the right capability for our air force that will be moving forward in the next 10 to 20 years and will meet the needs of Canada.
Canada's Contribution to the Effort to Combat ISIL February 17th, 2016
Madam Speaker, unfortunately, in the House we do not have a lot of time to talk about all the capabilities. However, yes, we are actually targeting ISIL's finances, and FINTRAC is working extensively on that.
A lot of work, as part of the coalition, has been done. Anti-radicalization, with the U.S. efforts, in many different countries is having an impact. We are looking at a multitude of things, and ISIL's ability to finance itself and recruit has been targeted as well.
Canada's Contribution to the Effort to Combat ISIL February 17th, 2016
Madam Speaker, air strikes are crucial for any campaign and having all the capabilities that are needed to defeat a complex enemy like ISIL. However, when it comes to the use of air strikes, the coalition has a tremendous amount of capability for air strikes.
When we are involved in a conflict, we cannot bring our assets to coalition partners to have them figure out where they go. To be a responsible partner, one needs to have an understanding of what is going on and what capabilities are needed, and then one can take on a certain responsibility, being better at that. This is the conversation I have been able to have. I am actually very pleased with how well this conversation has gone, and this has allowed Canada to bring in the right asset to contribute to the fight.
However, yes, the coalition has a tremendous amount of air strike capability as well.
Canada's Contribution to the Effort to Combat ISIL February 17th, 2016
Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the question. That is a very good question.
That is one of the reasons we have enhanced the intelligence capability. It is not strictly for understanding the direct action fight to target ISIL but to understand the dynamics of the region. It is very critical, because if someone gets one piece wrong, that can actually inflame the situation. This is one of the reasons the commanders on the ground are asking for the right intelligence capability. Canada has this type of capability. Unfortunately, I am not able to discuss this in the House. However, I have offered to have discussions with critics in private on this. We can really enhance the capability so that we do not target the wrong people.
Canada's Contribution to the Effort to Combat ISIL February 17th, 2016
Madam Speaker, the situation in Afghanistan is different from that in Iraq. Nonetheless, we always need to take a comprehensive approach to any situation.
The effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces is the key to success in the defeat of ISIL. However, we have also taken a much more comprehensive approach in looking at capacity building, not just within the forces themselves. The ministerial liaison teams are going to go directly to the ministry of defence and the ministry of the interior. Therefore, we are looking at more and different capacity building to make sure that we will bring some solution to the difficulties of the political situation that happened in the past and caused some of the issues.
Canada's Contribution to the Effort to Combat ISIL February 17th, 2016
Madam Speaker, when the member talks about the effectiveness of air strikes and taking out commanders, the way the evolution of the mission has gone, that is exactly what has happened. The air strikes were effective and targeted, but the enemy also learns from our lessons. I remember when I was serving, I had a rule. When we were in some intense combat, we could never use a strategy twice because the enemy would always learn from it.
When we looked at the analysis with our military commanders, we looked at where the mission was at, where the evolution of the enemy was at. When I asked the ground force commander, General Clark, what he needed, the first thing he said to me was “intelligence”. The enemy is getting smarter because of our effectiveness in the past. We need to increase our intelligence capability. Why our Canadian intelligence capability? It is effective. Why do we need to increase our training capacity? This is what is needed on the ground. This is to defeat ISIS. It can only happen with troops on the ground. It cannot be done from the air.