SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 56

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 8, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 56 - Apr/8/22
Mr. Bryan May (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, Lib.)
  • Apr/8/22 11:59:06 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, our Canadian Armed Forces must be well equipped and well supported to fulfill the missions we ask of them. That is why our government is building on the smart, critical investments we have made over the past years with a further $8 billion announced yesterday, which will support immediate investments in our defence priorities, including our continental defences, alliance and collective security and in the capabilities of the CAF, as well as cultural change, cybersecurity and military support for Ukraine. This is good news for Canada and good news for the Canadian Armed Forces.
96 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 56 - Apr/8/22
Mrs. Sherry Romanado (Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, Lib.)
  • Apr/8/22 12:54:30 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, it is such a pleasure to see you in the chair. I know the hon. member and I can agree on a lot of things that are in the budget, and I am delighted because that is what Canadians want us to do. They want us to work together to do what is best for Canadians, so I am delighted we can find some common ground in budget 2022. One area he did not discuss in his speech that I would like to get his opinion on is the additional $8 billion in defence spending on top of what we have already committed to with “Strong, Secure, Engaged”. As the member knows, I am the mother of two serving members and the mother-in-law of a serving member. There is a joke on the Hill that I am the force generator. As the force generator here on the Hill, I would like to get the member's opinion on the increase in defence spending, given what is happening in Europe right now, given the fact we need to modernize NORAD and given the fact we need to look at “Strong, Secure, Engaged”. We wrote it almost five years ago and a lot of things have changed. I would like the member to elaborate.
220 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 56 - Apr/8/22
Mr. Daniel Blaikie
  • Apr/8/22 12:55:45 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, I talked a little earlier about the polarizing nature of political debate. In the last week or so, there has been a tendency to think one is either on board with spending 2% of GDP on defence spending, which would represent about $25 billion a year every year going forward, or one is not in favour of any defence spending at all. That is a false dichotomy. What New Democrats have always said is that our men and women in uniform need the equipment and skills to do what they are asked to do. We saw them deployed during the pandemic to our long-term care facilities. We have seen them deployed domestically and internationally in response to natural disasters or humanitarian crises. These are things they need the equipment to be able to do. It is no secret to anyone that there has been an incredible inability by governments of both stripes to be able to procure new equipment for our defence forces. We do support some spending in order to get them the equipment they need. We are very skeptical about 2% of GDP as the right amount. Clearly, we have priorities like dental care, pharmacare and other things we think should take precedence over that much of an increase in defence spending. We are not opposed to some increases in defence spending, but we are adamant that 2% of GDP is more than we ought to be affording for defence spending at this time, given all the other pressing demands on the shoulders of Canadians.
260 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border