Hon. Bill Blair, P.C., M.P., Minister of National Defence: Thank you very much, senator. It’s a very important question. The Canadian Armed Forces and the Minister of National Defence have a great deal of priorities right now, but none is greater for me than our important work in maintaining Arctic sovereignty and the investments we have to make in the North.

As you rightfully pointed out, we have made a commitment of $38.6 billion to NORAD modernization, but a very significant portion of that — part will be for investments in over-the-horizon radar and other things — will include a $122 million contract to strengthen Canadian Forces in Alert. It also includes the purchase of offshore patrol ships, of which four of six have been delivered and are available for patrol. I recently met with Duane Smith from the Inuit Nunangat area, as well. Those conversations are also very important.

As part of our commitment on the expenditure of the $38.6 billion for NORAD modernization, there is a commitment in that as well for Indigenous procurement for as much as 5% of that money. I will share with you that I’ve travelled to the Yukon and talked to the territorial government and the First Nations and Inuit governments there about Arctic sovereignty and the work of the Canadian Armed Forces in their region, and they have made it clear that sovereignty for them is investment in airports, highways and infrastructure. We’re committed to doing that.

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Welcome, minister. In June, before you became defence minister, the government released the co‑developed action plan to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, or UNDRIP, principles. Substantial sections are related to defence, imposing several responsibilities on your department. One of them is to collaborate with the Inuit Treaty Organizations to jointly identify Inuit-specific priorities and considerations for inclusion, where feasible, in National Defence policies, programs and initiatives. These matters are to be jointly identified by the partners, whose focus includes Inuit Nunangat, being the northern regions where Inuit traditionally live in the country. Minister, how is this work proceeding? How is the meaningful consultation engaged and the partnership developed?

Hon. Rebecca Patterson: Welcome, minister. With everything going on geopolitically, we can’t lose sight of the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine. My question today has to do with Canada’s continued support for Ukraine, specifically the donation of clothing and equipment you announced on October 11.

At that time, you announced 2,000 uniforms for women Ukrainian soldiers, and this was a welcome announcement. However, there are approximately 40,000 women in the Ukrainian army, with many fighting on the front lines in this grinding war of attrition, and they need to stay in the fight. We know these women are short of properly fitting uniforms and gender accommodating personal protective equipment, such as body armour.

Canada’s experience in combat has shown us that properly fitting equipment saves lives. But, frankly, 2,000 uniforms are a drop in the bucket of what women soldiers actually need. In your announcement, there was no mention of other personal protective equipment.

Minister, will you commit to engage with your officials and with industry to investigate providing full combat kits, which are desperately needed for those Ukrainian women soldiers?

Hon. Pat Duncan: Earlier this year, we experienced a foreign object in Canadian airspace over the Yukon. This experience re‑emphasized our dependence on the Alaskans and our Canadian Rangers, who are active and present in every Yukon community. Canada’s commitment to Arctic security in the North is focused on increased funding to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, National Defence and human resources at Joint Task Force North in Yellowknife. The Yukon has three Canadian Armed Forces staff stationed at Camp Boyle Barracks in Whitehorse.

In February, I wrote to your predecessor and asked that an office be centrally located to provide your department with a greater profile and ability to respond in a fulsome manner when needed. I have yet to receive an answer. Minister, are you aware of the minimal presence of the department in the Yukon? What, if anything, is the department doing to increase their presence and capabilities in the Yukon?

Hon. Bill Blair, P.C., M.P., Minister of National Defence: Thank you very much for the question. Providing support to military families is one of the most important things we need to do in order to improve the retention of the talent that we have and recruit new people into our organization.

I have travelled to the bases, and at every place I go, I try to spend time with the men and women who work there to give them an opportunity, first of all, to talk about the work that they are so proud of but also about some of the challenges they are facing. And, like in many parts of the country, I am hearing clearly that Canadian Armed Forces members are struggling with access to affordable housing, and that becomes a real priority. Although we have a budget of $55 million, it is not nearly enough to respond to what I believe to be almost a 7,000-housing unit deficit for the Canadian Armed Forces.

As I have been travelling to each of those bases, I also see the local municipality and work with the mayors. I have gone to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. As you are aware, the government is making significant investment in housing acceleration across the country, and I want to ensure that it also deals with the housing deficit that exists for our Canadian Armed Forces members.

We have also made significant investments across the country in child care. That is another huge challenge for military families, and so we have been providing money to the provinces, but the provinces don’t necessarily see it as their responsibility to support Armed Forces members and their families. I want to make sure that that investment is reflected in the provision of those important services to Canadian Armed Forces members.

Hon. Bill Blair, P.C., M.P., Minister of National Defence: Thank you very much, Senator Dalphond. I have some good news on that. I met earlier this week with the Inuit Treaty Organization. It was a meeting chaired jointly by Natan Obed and my colleague Minister Gary Anandasangaree. There were a number of discussions that took place with respect to our UNDRIP commitments with respect to the military. And as I spoke earlier, one of the Indigenous leaders we had met with earlier this week, I met yesterday with his team, and we talked about how we can work more collaboratively and consultatively with Inuit leadership, working with the Nunangat in order to fulfill our obligations.

Senator, I want to assure you we see this area as critically important, but every investment we make has to be done in close and proper consultation and collaboration so that, first of all, we would benefit from their knowledge of the territory but also take full advantage of their presence and capabilities within the region and allow us to invest in those capabilities.

We also discussed the important work that the Canadian Rangers do and why they are such an important part of the Canadian Armed Forces’ presence in the North, and that needs to be done also in consultation and close collaboration with the Inuit Treaty Organizations.

Hon. Bill Blair, P.C., M.P., Minister of National Defence: Thank you very much, senator. It’s not a situation that I am embarrassed by. It is something that I feel a strong responsibility to fix.

I have looked carefully at military procurement processes. They have, over the past many years, become bureaucratic, overly lengthy, and the fact is that we do provide money for the procurement of the equipment and the kit and the gear that our members need and were unable to acquire. I’ve already met with the Minister of Public Services and Procurement but also the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and I am working with my deputy minister at National Defence to look at those processes and find ways in which we can expedite those procurement processes. It’s always important that we spend Canadian tax dollars carefully and create the best value for each of those dollars spent, but at the same time, the processes of that procurement — I have asked our officials to begin looking through those very carefully to find ways to expedite those matters.

I have also met with industry because they are a very important part of those procurement processes. We know that we have to make significant new investments, for example, in the manufacture of munitions, and we’re working closely with our aerospace and shipbuilding industries. We want to make sure those processes work for the Canadian Armed Forces and for Canadians.

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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.

Hon. Kim Pate: Welcome. Thank you for joining us today, Minister Blair. For decades, as you know, governments have pointed to the need to address violence against women as an impetus for criminal legislation that too often results in making sentences longer, harsher and more punitive. These approaches have not meaningfully prevented violence against women, including in the military.

What concrete measures has the government taken to implement the Calls for Justice of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry, as well as the recommendations of the Mass Casualty Commission and the Arbour report on sexual misconduct in the military? How will the government seek to address and redress the root causes of violence against women? What is the timeline for the full implementation of these recommendations?

Hon. Bill Blair, P.C., M.P., Minister of National Defence: Thank you, senator. I’m aware under legislation that I am the government official responsible for search and rescue in Canada. It was also my responsibility in my previous capacities as the former Minister of Public Safety and the former Minister of Emergency Preparedness. I understand the enormous challenges that we face with respect to search and rescue, particularly in the Arctic and other remote regions of this country.

Having said that, I apologize, senator, as I’m not familiar with the report that you prepared. I’ll make myself familiar with it because I have been working closely with both territorial and provincial partners, and also First Nations and Indigenous partners across the country, talking about how we can improve the system.

I am absolutely committed to taking as much of the “search” out of “search and rescue” as possible. There are technologies that we can utilize to do so.

I also met with the Russell family in Newfoundland. They lost their son in a terrible marine tragedy there.

We’re looking at ways to invest more appropriately in remote regions of the country and use certain technologies to improve our success rate. I’ve been meeting with search and rescue people from across this country. There’s a real opportunity for us to do better. I look forward to reading your report and learning from the advice provided.

Senator M. Deacon: Thank you. We’re hopeful that report will be reviewed and will provide a good template.

One recommendation was that the government use new or existing institutionalized mechanisms to partner with Indigenous peoples in the Arctic — and to obtain their views about security and defence in the region — and that these partnerships should be undertaken in accordance with the Indigenous rights outlined in modern treaties. What steps has the government taken to include Indigenous peoples in recently announced plans for defence infrastructure in the Arctic?

Hon. Bill Blair, P.C., M.P., Minister of National Defence: Senator, if I may, I can speak a bit more fulsomely to the 48 recommendations of Justice Arbour. We have been working very closely with her. As a matter of fact, a few weeks ago, within my own office, I onboarded someone who is solely dedicated to the implementation of those recommendations.

Of course, we’re also working very closely with the Canadian Armed Forces, or CAF, including the Chief of Defence Staff, or CDS, and General Carignan, who has that responsibility within CAF. I believe we’ve made some very significant progress. For example, one of the most important recommendations made by Justice Arbour was to have sexual assault investigations done by police in the jurisdiction, not by the military police, and that those matters would be then prosecuted, if they result in prosecution, in the criminal justice system.

By ministerial directive, my predecessor directed that all of those cases would be forwarded to the criminal justice system, and that has been done.

I’ve been working closely on drafting a new legislative amendment that will bring about that change and institutionalize it to permanently establish Madam Justice Arbour’s recommendation number 5 within the Canadian Armed Forces. I hope to be able to bring forward that work, first of all, to my cabinet — I can’t get ahead of them — and, ultimately, after cabinet approval, to bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity. I’m very hopeful to have that done before —

Hon. Percy E. Downe: Thank you, minister. The Canadian Armed Forces are short-staffed by 16,000 members. Retention and recruitment shortfalls are the worst they’ve ever been. Family consideration is an important fact for many members. I’ve been contacted by members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are concerned that, given the current health care accessibility crisis in Canada, medical support for their immediate family members will be next to impossible to obtain if they are posted to new locations in Canada.

As you’re well aware, members of the forces have access to military medical personnel, including doctors and nurses, but their family members don’t. Therefore, when they’re posted to a new location, their quality of medical care will continue, but their family members have to join a waiting list for a family doctor that, in many provinces, can be thousands of names long. For example, the wait-list for a family doctor in Prince Edward Island is over 30,000 names.

In light of this, and the impact it is surely having on recruitment and retention, why is your department not extending the Canadian Armed Forces medical coverage to members’ families, like they do in the United States?

Hon. Marty Deacon: Hello, minister. Thank you for being here this afternoon. Thank you for your comments on morale and recruitment and culture. My question today stems from a report on Arctic sovereignty and security made earlier this year by the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs. It recommended that, by March 31, 2024, the government establish a permanent Arctic search and rescue round table comprised of representatives of the federal, territorial and Indigenous governments, as well as community-based organizations and government entities involved in search and rescue — including our Canadian Rangers.

My question is this: Is the government undertaking such a project? If not, what steps are you taking to ensure better search and rescue capabilities in the Arctic?

Hon. Leo Housakos: Minister, I’m sure you’re aware of the Auditor General’s and the RCMP’s investigation into the outsourcing of contracts in regard to the “ArriveScam” app. If you’re unaware, minister, it’s high time you start reading all of your emails.

One of the two executives from Dalian Enterprises testified before a House committee. He couldn’t explain what his company does for your government. This is odd, not only because this company has zero employees, but also because your government continues to award them numerous contracts. Natural Resources Canada alone has awarded Dalian three separate contracts since March of this year for almost $10 million. The Department of National Defence also uses the services of this company. As a matter of fact, I’m told that Dalian does the majority of this outsourcing with the Department of National Defence.

Surely, minister, you can tell Canadians what it is that Dalian provides to the Department of National Defence, or is this another example of a ghost company billing taxpayers through an elaborate money laundering scheme that is benefiting government insiders?

Hon. Bill Blair, P.C., M.P., Minister of National Defence: Thank you, senator. First of all, I do read my emails, but thank you for reminding me. Senator, you’re clearly confused about something there because I do read my emails.

Second, I’m not familiar with any relationship that the Department of National Defence has with that company, and, if you want to make that request of us, I’ll ensure the information is provided to you in a timely way.

Hon. Bill Blair, P.C., M.P., Minister of National Defence: Thank you, senator, and as you quite rightly point out, members of the Canadian Armed Forces are not insured persons under the Canada Health Act, and the Canadian Armed Forces actually provides those services. I was recently in North Bay where we opened up a new medical centre providing those services, which I think is a very important investment and an important initiative to support the men and women who serve.

However, I’ve also heard — and I don’t disagree with you at all, sir — that family members, particularly because of the way we transfer people, often go on a wait-list. By the time they reach the top of that wait-list, they’re transferred to another location. That has created a real burden.

Yesterday, I went to the Minister of Health. They are negotiating a number of different advancements to medical supports and services with each of the provinces and territories, and I’ve asked him to make, as part of those discussions, provisions in order to ensure that family members of the Canadian Armed Forces are given priority in gaining access to family health services because of the unique challenges that our members face. He’s undertaken to me that this will form part of our discussions with our provincial partners with respect to enhancements to medical services that will be provided across the country.

I am committed, senator, to continuing to work with them in order to ensure that we support military families in everything we do. Recruiting and retaining the very best talent — the men and women who work there — is a great strength of the Canadian Armed Forces, and we must ensure that we support their families.

Hon. Bill Blair, P.C., M.P., Minister of National Defence: Thank you very much, Senator Gignac. In addition to your recommendation, I’ve had an extensive conversation with Vice‑Admiral Topshee about the important role the Royal Canadian Navy has in maintaining security and sovereignty in our Arctic. He has told me that the current fleet of Victoria-class submarines is not entirely fit for purpose, and he’s made it very clear about the need to make significant new investments in ensuring that we have an underwater fleet that is capable of persistence so that they can stay in the region long enough; capable of stealth so that they can operate effectively; and capable of lethality so that they can take whatever action may be necessary to protect Canada’s interest in that area. I assure you that is a serious consideration for our government, and in the development of the defence policy update with respect to future requirements for the Royal Canadian Navy — ensuring our people have the platforms they need.

We’re involved in other discussions, particularly with our allies, because it’s more than just the boat — more than just the platform — as it’s also the important investment in equipment and technology that we place on board those vessels in order to support the important, essential work of the Royal Canadian Navy.

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Hon. Clément Gignac: The Treasury Board wants to cut roughly $1 billion from your budget, prompting General Wayne Eyre to say, and I quote, “There’s no way that you can take almost a billion dollars out of the defence budget and not have an impact . . . .”

My question is this: Don’t you think that this decision affects the morale of the Canadian Armed Forces and, especially, that it gives the impression that adding new social programs, as called for by the NDP, is a higher priority for the government than ensuring Canada’s Arctic sovereignty and meeting our NATO commitments?

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Hon. Clément Gignac: Welcome, minister, and thank you for your public service as an MP since 2015 and, especially, for your 39 years of service in the Toronto Police Service.

As has already been mentioned, in June, the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence tabled a report on Arctic security, which set out 23 recommendations. One of them stated, and I quote:

That the Government of Canada include, in its next defence policy, a section on underwater domain awareness and underwater threats.

That section should also include a plan so that the government can quickly replace Canada’s existing Victoria-class submarines with submarines that would work better in the Arctic.

Minister, have you read this report? More importantly, do you intend to follow up on this recommendation to ensure Arctic sovereignty?

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