Harjit S. Sajjan

[National Defence, February 1st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I learned my lessons working with our allies. Indeed, what I said in my speech at Canada 2020 is that when I was actually working with them I learned about the issues that allow radical organizations to take advantage of certain issues and then our having to form coalitions after the fact.

What I want to ask the member opposite is where was his government in looking at those issues? Why did it allow the issues to get so big and not attack ISIL when it was a small organization?

[National Defence, January 29th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I have seen the terrible damage inflicted onto Canadian cities and citizens caused by organized crime and their business in drug trafficking. This year's record success in Operation Caribbe is a testament to the Canadian Armed Forces, in particular the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force's dedication and perseverance to work with our allies in complex environments for the safety and security of the citizens of this continent.

[National Defence, January 29th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, Canada remains committed to our Ukrainian partners. There are currently 200 of our great men and women working alongside the Ukrainian forces in a training role. I will be attending a very important meeting in Europe with our coalition partners in NATO to discuss the future of what we are going to be doing and how we are going to be continuing to support Ukraine.

[National Defence, January 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, one of the most important things when dealing with a conflict like this is to get a good assessment of what is happening on the ground. As a result of the Conservatives' not having a good assessment of the situation, we can see why we are actually in this mess. That is why I am taking the time to do a thorough assessment and making sure that we get this right and that we have the appropriate capability that is going to make it more effective. I have done this in the past and will do this again.

[National Defence, January 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated, the threat of ISIL is real. However, as leaders of the nation, we need to give confidence to our Canadians that our institution, our security services, will protect them. That is exactly what we are going to be doing.

[National Defence, January 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, for the last two years, Canadians have not actually attended this meeting. I attended a meeting with my coalition partners, I got to meet with Defence Secretary Fallon in London, and I got to meet with my counterparts in many different countries.

More important, Canadians expect us to be responsible. That is why I am taking the time to ensure that we get this right, to ensure that we take the fight to this horrible enemy, and to ensure that we not only do it from a military manner, but also to bring in the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Development so we get this mission right.

[National Defence, January 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, meeting with our coalition partners is extremely important. That is why in my first two weeks of taking on my mandate I hosted the Halifax security conference, where I got to meet with my counterparts from all over the world.

More important, meeting with political leaders is actually to get the ground truth on the ground. That is why I went to the region twice within two months. That is how serious we take this mission.

[National Defence, December 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as it has been repeatedly stated, we are continuing the fight against ISIS. I am particularly concerned about the reach of ISIL into other regions and, in particular, into other nations.

We will be making sure that we work with our coalition partners to look at our intelligence so that we have the right capabilities and are able to prevent future disasters similar those that have taken place in the past.

[National Defence, December 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to air strikes, that is one tool in the toolbox in taking the fight to ISIS. We need to ensure that we look at all of the capabilities when we assess the situation, because if we do not and we come up with a knee-jerk reaction plan, we will not be effective. As the Minister of National Defence, I want to ensure that when we propose the right option that it will be effective and it will take the fight to ISIS like we want it to.

[National Defence, December 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad that the member opposite brought this important issue up in terms of threats to our country. This is something we need to take very seriously, but we also need to make sure that we identify the right threat. When it comes to radicalization, it is a completely different fight. Yes, we need to fight them in their territory, but we also need to be mindful in making sure that we have the right tools to prevent radicalization of our own Canadians in this type of fight.