Senator Martin: Additionally, a briefing note from military chaplains made public last month said the high cost of living, staff shortages and changes to the Post-Living Differential have resulted in “. . . many CAF leaders and members feeling more undervalued and underappreciated than at any point in recent memory.”

Minister, this is happening on the Trudeau government’s watch. What is your plan to improve such low morale?

I honestly believe that the real answer for this is more housing. That’s the work that we’re undertaking now to identify those opportunities that do exist for our bases right across the country, to create more housing that will be affordable and accessible to more members of the service.

[Translation]

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Hello, minister. Like other Canadians, the men and women of the Canadian Forces are struggling under the Trudeau government’s cost-of-living crisis. Just within the last few weeks, we’ve heard that our soldiers are asking for donations to help with food and housing costs. CAF members are increasingly choosing to leave the forces rather than relocate to an area they cannot afford or take a loss on an existing home, and the average cost to purchase or rent housing now exceeds incomes of several CAF working rank levels. Is the affordability crisis caused by the Trudeau government harming our military personnel and its readiness? It certainly looks that way.