David McGuinty

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Armed Forces is strengthened by the diversity of its traditions and the backgrounds and beliefs of its members. The policies to support diversity are a moral and ethical responsibility of the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service, the chief of the defence staff and CAF leadership. In their commitment to care for all, they have made a decision that the spiritual health and well-being of CAF members are vital to operational effectiveness, and they have, of course, brought in guidelines that do not ban private or personal faith.

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I mistakenly voted while paired this morning, so I would like to request unanimous consent to withdraw my vote on division 162, the motion to proceed to orders of the day, taken earlier this day.

Mr. Speaker, our investments in Canada's space capabilities, the member will know, will translate into new jobs, stronger supply chains, greater industrial capacity and a more resilient Canadian economy. We are taking decisive action to strengthen our security and sovereignty, and to reinforce the resilience and long-term strength of the country. We are strengthening Atlantic Canada's industrial capacity, growing Nova Scotia's role in Canada's defence industry and giving Canada the capability it needs to respond to evolving global security challenges, while supporting long-term economic growth.

Mr. Speaker, we are acquiring a new fleet of fighter jets for the Royal Canadian Air Force. The member knows that. We are reviewing all procurement approaches so that they align with the interests of Canadians and the needs of the Canadian Armed Forces. We are committed to acquiring what the air force needs, while guaranteeing economic benefits for Canadians, including Quebeckers.

Mr. Speaker, what is weak is the narrative. The Leader of the Opposition knows that his handful of tax changes are not going to contend with the economic challenges we are facing in the United States. They are not going to contend with the Ukrainian war. They are not going to contend with the gulf war. The Leader of the Opposition cherry-picks all the time. He does not talk about us being up 88,000 jobs last month. He does not talk about unemployment being down. He does not talk about foreign direct investment being the highest in 20 years. He does not talk about cutting taxes. He does not talk about our increased capital gains eligibility. In fact, what is interesting is that there is no plan coming from that side—

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure where the member has been, but he has not been to any of our 33 bases lately. He is not seeing the investments that are being made there. He is not seeing the improvements that have been showing up, such as a 61% increase in applications this year, year over year, a 13% increase in those accepted into the forces, reductions in times for training, and 8%, 13% and 20% increases in salaries. It is so bad. I really just cannot figure out how they can make this stuff up.

Mr. Speaker, it is a good day to answer this question, because, in fact, a year ago today we announced that we would achieve 2% of our GDP expenditures for defence. I remember where the member was at the end of the Harper regime when it was less than 1%. I did not see him fighting then for the money that we needed for our forces. In fact, he has been missing in action. On the housing front alone, we are building 7,500 new units, 800 units are under construction now and three new apartment buildings have been purchased. We are making progress step by step. That is exactly what the women and men of the forces deserve.

Mr. Speaker, we are going to continue to make thoughtful, systematic and disciplined investments in the Canadian Armed Forces. Applications are up 61% year over year. The number of folks brought into the system is up 13% year over year. We have more women joining. We are making progress on the cultural challenges inside the Canadian Armed Forces. We are buying weapons systems. We bought new rifles. We are building new homes. We are building for the future. When a mess is left like it was by the last regime under Mr. Harper, it is kind of hard to defend it.

Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. We added 88,000 jobs last month. Unemployment is down. Foreign direct investment is up at the highest it has been in 20 years, the highest in the G7. We have dropped our fuel excise tax by 10¢ a litre. We increased capital gains eligibility. We have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. We are making massive investments in housing, infrastructure and defence, and now the trade surplus is up. The member has to get his facts straight.

Mr. Speaker, here is where we have led Canadians on the defence side alone: joint support ships, 3,500 jobs; Arctic and offshore patrol ships, 2,300 jobs; fixed-wing search and rescue, 1,800 jobs; remotely piloted aircraft system, 700 jobs; River class destroyers, 5,250 jobs; logistics vehicle modernization, 1,900 jobs; armoured combat support vehicles, 1,650 jobs. There are tens of thousands of jobs in the defence sector alone. Get on board. Stop running the country down. Help us build it.

Madam Speaker, I have never seen this in my 22 years in the House. I have never heard such good news be disparaged and cast aside, and they continue to run down the Canadian economy. We added 88,000 jobs. Unemployment is down. Foreign direct investment is up. We have dropped the fuel excise tax. We have increased our capital gains exemption. We are making massive investments in housing, in infrastructure and in defence. In short, we have a plan and that plan is working.

Mr. Speaker, what we are listening for is something rational, something thoughtful, something coherent, something comprehensive, maybe even a plan. How about a plan that is a fiscal plan? How about an economic plan? What about an industrial plan? What about a defence and security plan? How about supports and social services for Canadians? All we hear is about driving this country down. It is absolutely ridiculous.

Mr. Speaker, what Canadians are hearing here is not the sound of fury. It is the sound of nothing. He has no plan. He has no fiscal plan, no economic plan, no industrial plan, no defence or security plan, no supports and no social plan, but what he does have is a track record of spending $9 million in his personal office in 2024.

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has some kind of phony and artificial narrative. I do not know where he is drawing this from. He picks up pieces of information. He tries to weave them together. What is interesting is that he has no plan. He has nothing to say. The last time he had a plan, he told Canadians to go invest in cryptocurrency. For God's sake, let us take a look at where that is at. Why does the Leader of the Opposition not get up and give us a real plan, and instead of running down this incredible country, build this country forward and build it up?

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition should take note of some of the facts. For example, 3,500 jobs annually are being created with our joint support ships contract; 2,300 jobs to produce our AOP ships; 1,800 jobs for our fixed-wing search and rescue; 700 jobs for our remotely piloted aircraft system; and 5,300 direct jobs for our River class destroyers. The list is very long. The Leader of the Opposition should stop running down Canada and join us in our efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the member for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake rose to ask the question. It is important for her to remind her constituents that we are investing between $3 billion and $4 billion in her riding. We are making massive investments in the base there. She knows so. We also announced a very progressive move to procure the GlobalEye plane with Saab last week, with 3,000 new jobs in Canadian aerospace and defence and 22,000 jobs in Canadian multi-mission aircraft. The list goes on and on. I know the Conservatives do not want to hear it. They are too busy running down this beautiful country.

Mr. Speaker, I have really good news. Today we announced our commitment to procure the GlobalEye, Saab's airborne early warning and control aircraft platform. This investment will open new opportunities for Canadian workers, and it is projected to create 3,000 jobs in the Canadian aerospace and defence sector. This is going to be a key resource for the Canadian Armed Forces to enhance our North American security by detecting and deterring threats across the Arctic and beyond. We are just getting started.

Mr. Speaker, they do not want to hear them, but here are the facts: enhanced recruitment, up 61%, the highest in 30 years; biggest pay raises in a generation; major infrastructure renewal on 33 bases; new rifles, new kit and new uniforms for women; 7,500 new housing units, 800 of which are under construction; serious investments in Arctic offshore patrol ships; P-8 maritime patrol aircraft; 11 new SkyGuardian drones; space-based polar communications; and Arctic over-the-horizon radar. We are just getting started.

Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action to ensure that Canadians can continue to enjoy the iconic nine-plane Snowbird formation for generations to come, and the member knows that. Instead of hyping things up, why does he not work with us? We announced a commitment to procure the CT-157, the Pilatus C-21, that will serve both the future Snowbirds team and pilot training. This new capability will be based at 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and is expected to be operational by the latest in the early 2030s. We intend to procure these aircraft quickly and we will do so.