James Bezan

Again, Mr. Speaker, there is no plan ISIS is a jihadi terrorist organization that is committing mass atrocities against religious and ethnic minorities. These are terrorists who believe in a dangerously radicalized version of Islam. The Liberals are constantly rationalizing their behaviour and making excuses for ISIS. Now the Minister of National Defence is blaming climate change for ISIS.Does the Minister of National Defence actually believe that climate change creates jihadi terrorists?

Mr. Speaker, an ISIS terrorist who returned to Canada in the past few years recently gave an interview with The New York Times podcast “Caliphate”. In the podcast, Abu Huzaifa states that he worked for ISIS enforcing sharia law in Syria. He brags about getting splattered with blood while brutally lashing people who broke their laws, and he proudly admits to murdering ISIS prisoners and having the irony smell of blood on his hands.When is the Prime Minister going to stop allowing these bloodthirsty terrorists to walk on our streets, and throw them in jail instead?

Mr. Speaker, that Liberal cover-up stinks, and I will tell you what else stinks: the Liberal's response since cutting the danger pay of Canadian troops fighting ISIS, and it has been embarrassing. Conservatives forced the hands of the Liberals in fixing this outrageous decision, but today we learned the Liberals issued a ministerial order that is only returning some of the danger pay for some of our troops.Military families who are no longer receiving this military danger pay are now turning to food banks to get by.Why is the Minister of National Defence not standing up for our troops who are being treated so poorly by these Liberals?

Mr. Speaker, terrorist, Abu Huzaifa has admitted to authorities, the CBC, and the New York Times that he left Canada to join ISIS. ISIS officials in Syria confirm that he joined their terrorist group. I would like to remind the Prime Minister that it is illegal under the Criminal Code to leave Canada to join a terrorist organization. It is illegal to be trained as a terrorist. It is illegal to be an ISIS enforcer and executioner. Abu Huzaifa is the worst of the worst, and committed war crimes. When will the Prime Minister finally take action, put public safety first, and arrest this terrorist?

Mr. Speaker, at the UN, the Prime Minister made it clear that he is willing to put Canadians in harm's way to achieve his political desire for a temporary seat on the UN Security Council. Missions in Africa are dangerous by their very nature. Jihadists in the region have declared that killing UN peacekeepers is their highest priority. How many Canadian lives is the Prime Minister willing to risk for his own personal aspirations and political gain?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is actually running away from his responsibilities here. It is a cop-out. I would like to remind everyone that the Prime Minister has not hesitated in giving special treatment to terrorists, such as offering classes for returning terrorists in poetry and podcasting, and of course he loves writing cheques for $10 million. Canadian ISIS terrorist Abu Huzaifa is walking freely on our streets, even though he publicly confessed to joining a terrorist group, sadistically enforcing sharia law, and slaughtering dissidents like they were animals.When will the Prime Minister finally imprison ISIS terrorists instead of allowing them to use Canada as a safe haven?

Mr. Speaker, I feel obligated to remind the Liberals of how barbaric ISIS terrorists are. This week they publicly beheaded a 15-year-old boy for listening to pop music. The U.S. State Department reported that ISIS used mustard gas in a deadly attack against Iraq's Kurdish peshmerga. The new Liberal plan puts our troops at increased risk and ignores the immediate security needs of innocent civilians.Now that our CF-18s can no longer take out ISIS from the air, will the Prime Minister be using reason to stop ISIS from carrying out these atrocities?

Mr. Speaker, Nada is a young Yazidi mother from Iraq. When ISIS invaded her community, she was sold as a sex slave. She recently recounted coming face to face with Abu Tawfiq, the man she says sold her and bought her. He was not in jail. He was not in Iraq. He is a free man in London, Ontario.We need to believe victims, and the Liberals let this guy into our country.Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for allowing ISIS terrorists to walk our streets freely and finally send these war criminals to The Hague?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' denying tax credits for diabetics and chronically ill Canadians is a heartless Liberal policy, and it gets worse. The Liberals' asinine policy of cutting pay for injured members of the Canadian Armed Forces is also wrong. These members have sustained mental and physical injuries in service of Canada, and instead of thanking them, what does the defence minister do? He cuts their pay.When will the Liberal government reverse this cold-hearted policy and actually start to support our injured troops and give back the money they deserve?

Mr. Speaker, despite confirmation that the Russians downed Malaysia Airlines MH17, the Liberals are still pursuing their asinine policy of normalizing relations with Russia, even though Russia invaded and illegally annexed Crimea and is waging a war in eastern Ukraine, and even though Russia is bombing and killing hundreds of civilians in Syria while it props up the brutal Assad regime.When will the foreign minister get his head out of the clouds and realize that any step to rationalize our relations with Russia is a threat to international security and Canadian sovereignty?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' fighter jet replacement fiasco has gone from bad to worse. The Prime Minister has stated that Boeing is no longer a trusted partner and has threatened to cancel all future projects with Boeing. This includes the Liberals' asinine interim purchase of 18 Super Hornets, which has been mocked by the entire defence community. Will the Liberal government stop playing partisan political games with our troops and immediately launch an open and transparent competition?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is willing to stifle, silence, and outright contradict government and military officials, all to save face for the Prime Minister. Despite what the defence minister says, official documents prove there is no capability gap in our fighter fleet, it was the Liberals who cut danger pay to our troops, and our allies were not happy with the decision of the Liberals to withdraw our CF18s from the fight against ISIS. When will the Minister of National Defence admit he is misleading Canadians, and put an end to his dirty little habit?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are sick and tired of not getting answers from the Liberal government. We know their friends in the former Ontario Liberal government routinely destroyed evidence whenever they found themselves in hot water, and of course former Liberal staffers, like Gerald Butts and Katie Telford, are running the PMO today.Canadians have the right to know if the government is following the example set by its Ontario Liberal cousins. Has the government destroyed any evidence in the Vice-Admiral Mark Norman case?

Madam Speaker, I know the Liberals are very uncomfortable with this very inconvenient truth. Let me repeat that subsection 139(2) of the Criminal Code says that everyone who “wilfully attempts in any manner...to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice is guilty of an indictable offence”.We know that the Clerk of the Privy Council, the Prime Minister and Gerry Butts wilfully attempted to have the former Attorney General interfere in the trial. That is a criminal offence. Will the justice minister admit that this constitutes a crime?

Mr. Speaker, no one believes the Prime Minister for a second. That is a guy who pulled our CF-18s out of the fight against ISIS. Now he wants them to fly around like we are dealing with the Cuban missile crisis. The Auditor General trashed the Prime Minister's fighter jet plan. Instead of following the Auditor General's recommendations and scrapping his outrageous plan to buy old, obsolete Aussie jets, the Prime Minister betrayed our air force by rushing out to finalize the deal.Will the Prime Minister stop spending billions to keep our aging fight fleet on life support, cancel this asinine Australian deal—

Mr. Speaker, I think the minister is too ashamed to admit how he voted at the UN.Yesterday, we learned the defence minister is making another trip to Africa. It seems the Liberals are hell-bent on sending 600 Canadian troops into harm's way. Before the minister sends our troops anywhere, he should explain to Canadians what interest we have in sending troops to Mali where 100 peacekeepers have already been killed.Will the Prime Minister admit that sending troops to Mali serves no Canadian interests, other than his own vain campaign to win himself a seat at the UN Security Council?

Mr. Speaker, for months Ukraine has been calling on the Liberals to extend Canada's military training mission beyond its March deadline.With escalating Russian aggression, our Ukrainian allies are concerned that the Liberals have turned their backs on them again. The Liberals have already cancelled life-saving satellite images, they have refused to provide the final signature on a defence co-operation agreement with Ukraine, and they backed down on a campaign promise to put sanctions on corrupt Russian officials. Operation Unifier must be extended.Why are the Liberals not standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine in its fight against Putin's proxies?

Mr. Speaker, that is what we would call all hat, no horse.A government email confirms that the Iraqi government asked Canada to continue its bombing mission against ISIS on multiple occasions. Our Kurdish and Iraqi partners in the fight against ISIS describe our air strikes as effective and life-saving and as destroying the enemy.Our allies repeatedly asked Canada to keep our CF-18s in the fight, but the minister ignored them and told Canadians that our partners and allies were okay with the Liberals' decision. Canadians cannot trust the Minister of National Defence when he continues to mislead us. Will the Prime Minister make the Minister of National Defence apologize?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to fail armed forces on the fighter jet file. He has refused to hold a timely, open competition, and he fabricated an imaginary capability gap. It is clear the Prime Minister has no idea what he is doing, and now the Liberals are increasing the number of 30-year-old fighter jets they are buying from Australia from 18 to 25. Will the Prime Minister stop wasting taxpayer money and cancel this asinine interim purchase?

Mr. Speaker, Nadiya Savchenko has restarted her hunger strike. Her health is deteriorating, and the Liberals have done next to nothing.The charges against Nadiya are clearly trumped up. This illegal show trial demonstrates the Russian regime's utter contempt for international law, due process, and human rights. Rallies are scheduled across Canada this evening, demanding her release.The Liberals are saying that they want to talk to Russia; so, will the Prime Minister pick up the phone, call the Kremlin, and demand that it free Nadiya Savchenko immediately?

Mr. Speaker, the minister is throwing good money after bad buying a bunch of old, obsolete fighter jets. The Auditor General trashed that plan, and the Liberals' fighter jet plan has completely crashed and burned. By purchasing these old jets, the Liberals are actually endangering the lives of the brave men and women in uniform who serve this country.When will the Liberals follow the Auditor General's advice, cancel this crazy deal to buy these used Aussie jets and immediately buy the right jets for our pilots?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal budget is an attack on our armed forces. The Liberals slashed $3.7 billion from the defence budget, and they are killing military procurement for five years. Our armed forces cannot afford another dark era of Liberal neglect. The Liberals have put us on the sidelines in the war against terrorism.Why will the Liberal government not support our troops?

Mr. Speaker, this weekend, Russia violated international law again by attacking and seizing three Ukrainian ships. Russia continues to escalate tensions in the region by invading Ukraine, launching multiple cyber-attacks and threatening free and fair elections around the world. The government needs to realize that Putin is provoked by weakness and we must make Ukraine stronger. Will the Liberals finally give Ukraine the lethal weapons it needs and sanction all the Russian crooks for violating our international peace, safety and security?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals refuse to say that we are at war with ISIS, but according to the chief of the defence staff, the risk to the lives of our troops on the ground in Iraq has gone up. How can Canadian casualties increase if we are not at war?Will the defence minister join our allies and finally say that Canada is at war against the jihadi genocidal death cult called ISIS?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has not given Canadians a single good reason why we should stop bombing ISIS with our fighter jets. Matthew Fisher, a senior foreign correspondent, noted that despite diplomatic niceties, the idea that our allies would be happy to see our CF-18s come home is hogwash. General Vance has said that by tripling the number of special operation forces on the ground, it increases the risk. Why is the Prime Minister reducing our capabilities, taking us out of the fight against ISIS, and putting our troops at risk?

Mr. Speaker, we are not in combat; we are now just trainers.Last week the American government condemned the actions of ISIS as genocide. Rather than working with our allies to destroy this barbaric terrorist group, our Prime Minister has taken Canada out of the fight. The Liberals are ignoring Canada's responsibility to protect the most vulnerable citizens who are targeted by ISIS. Why is the Prime Minister afraid to fight terrorism head on and stop the ISIS genocide?

Mr. Speaker, images of Canadian troops operating Iraqi vehicles, sighting targets with sniper rifles, and painting targets near Mosul have emerged on social media. One source said that Canadian soldiers are still moving on the front line. When the Liberals were in opposition, they demanded more transparency but have now ended briefings on what our troops are doing in the battle for Mosul. This is blatant hypocrisy. Why should Canadians have to learn on Twitter what our troops are doing to defeat ISIS, rather than from the government?

Mr. Speaker, our thoughts and prayers are with the families and the victims of the horrific terrorist attack by ISIS in Brussels this morning. It is another tragic reminder of the extreme danger posed by terrorism. The Liberals continue to ignore the threat of terrorism. In fact, one of their very first pieces of legislation was to return Canadian citizenship to convicted terrorists. I would like to remind the Liberals that a terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist. Why will the Prime Minister not take the fight against terror seriously and put Canada back in the combat mission against ISIS?

Mr. Speaker, there is no capability gap. It is a Liberal credibility gap. After blindly committing to purchasing the Super Hornets, the Minister of National Defence is now accusing Boeing of being untrustworthy, but the defence minister has been crying wolf about his fabricated capability gap and he is the one who is untrustworthy. The Liberals are using our air force as a political pawn in a trade war with the United States. What we need right now is a competitive process to get the best fighter jet for Canada. The defence minister is the architect of this complete political disaster. When will the Prime Minister find someone, anyone over there, who can clean up this mess?

Mr. Speaker, the air strikes are working. The global terrorist threat is real. It has taken the lives of Canadians, both here at home and abroad.The government's priority should be ensuring the safety of Canadians. Our CF-18s are important in the fight to destroy ISIS, so it cannot threaten Canadians.Does the Prime Minister actually believe reasoning with genocidal terrorists would be more effective than missile strikes by our CF-18s?

Mr. Speaker, when asked about his defence minister's comments that Canada will find the root causes of the problems in Africa, the Prime Minister said, “Canada has an awful lot to offer other than just stopping people from shooting at each other”.The Liberals will be sending our soldiers to some of the most dangerous parts of the world in Africa. When radicalized terrorists start shooting at civilians or at our troops, will they be able to defend themselves, or are they expected to just talk to the jihadists about their feelings or the root causes of the conflict?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence said of our allies in a radio interview, “Of course they want to keep our CF-18s there”.Our allies want us to leave our CF-18s in the fight against ISIS. Canadians want us to leave our fighter jets in the fight. Why are the only people who want us to stop bombing ISIS the Prime Minister and ISIS?

Mr. Speaker, I guess she is the architect of this fighter jet fiasco.The Liberals' excuses for betraying our armed forces will not fix the bridges they have already burned with our allies. The letters in the report prove that the Prime Minister has betrayed Canada on the world stage. To quote the report, “the present government’s policies have dealt a blow to Canada-US defence relations, the bedrock of the country’s security”. When will the Prime Minister stop undermining Canada's relationship with our closest ally and defence partner?

Mr. Speaker, I rise on Standing Order 18 to deal with some disrespectful comments at committee by the member for Kelowna—Lake Country.I realize that committees are masters of their own domain, but I would welcome your opinion on this situation, and would invite you to remind all chair occupants to be very fair, temperate, and unbiased when they are in the chair.The example I wish to give is a comment by the member for Kelowna—Lake Country, who is the chair of the Standing Committee on National Defence. It was just brought to my attention this morning that at our last meeting at the defence committee on Thursday, December 1, the chair, the member for Kelowna—Lake Country, said, when he thought his microphone was shut off after an exchange between him and me—and I do not think he was referring to the Minister of National Defence, who I was questioning—“You jerk” in response to me, at 12:24:13.I would invite you, Mr. Speaker, to remind all chair occupants to be fair and temperate and to act in a parliamentary manner to ensure proper discourse at our committees—

Mr. Speaker, how many times has the minister said that fib over the last two years? Veterans are disgusted that the minister took credit for his role in the battlefield that involved hundreds of soldiers. That is valour stolen. The defence minister is now a laughingstock. His reputation is damaged beyond repair. Canadians do not believe him. The military does not trust him, and our allies are not going to take him seriously.How can the Prime Minister still have confidence in the defence minister?

Mr. Speaker, they are buying a bunch of flying white elephants.The Prime Minister is risking Canadian jobs, taxpayers' money, and the well-being of our pilots. The former head of procurement for National Defence, Alan Williams, said that we do not tell a company we intend on buying its product, and then try to negotiate a price. That is like me walking into a car dealership, telling the salesman that I will buy a car in the showroom, and then try to sit down to negotiate a price. Everybody knows that is ridiculous. The Liberals have bungled this file completely.Will the Prime Minister reverse this irresponsible decision and immediately launch a fair competition?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is dangerously naive about world affairs. He admires a brutal communist dictatorship, which raises doubts about how he views other global threats and how to address them. Our security is too important to be left to the Prime Minister's risky ideological whims. Our troops are in Iraq and will certainly be in Mali fighting jihadi terrorists, but the government will not call it a combat mission. How can the Liberals put our troops in harm's way when their ideology is based on making sure the worst regimes in the world feel comfortable at dinner with Canadian diplomats?

Mr. Speaker, that is a ridiculous answer.Despite the deafening silence by the government, commanders of the Canadian Armed Forces have confirmed that the mission against ISIS has evolved. Yesterday, the defence minister would not rule out putting our troops on the ground in Syria, this despite the fact the Prime Minister once said his position was clear, that expanding the mission into Syria, committing our Armed Forces to the dangers of an ill-defined combat mission, would not serve our national interests.Is the minister aware that he has contradicted the Prime Minister? Why are the Liberals saying one thing in opposition and quite a different thing in government?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have put an end to providing technical briefings on all military deployment. They have put more troops in danger on the front lines against ISIS, removed their air combat support and failed to provide adequate medical care. In addition, the Prime Minister has not ruled out sending our troops into Syria. In opposition, he said, “...if the Prime Minister wants Canada to join a war in Iraq, he first needs to make that case to Canadians. He can start by being open and transparent...”. Does the Prime Minister see his hypocrisy? When will he be transparent with Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, rather than honour our veterans, the Minister of Defence used Remembrance Day to campaign for his Prime Minister's seat on the UN Security Council. He told the media that Canada would be committed to a three-year UN mission, but then his press secretary contradicted him, saying it was not true.In opposition, the Prime Minister said that the Liberal Party could not support any military mission when the arguments to support it had not been presented in an open and transparent manner.When will the Prime Minister put an end to this hypocrisy and explain to Canadians what our troops will be doing in Africa?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have no plan and the Prime Minister is failing our Canadian Armed Forces. This week we have learned things are so bad that our soldiers are being ordered to return their rucksacks and their sleeping bags to be used by others. Now we have learned that the cost of building the joint supply ships has skyrocketed another billion dollars over budget and the forces will not even take the first delivery until probably sometime in 2023. How can Canadians trust the Prime Minister to deliver on navy ships when he cannot even buy enough sleeping bags for our troops?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister just said a moment ago that he did not trust senior members of the Canadian Forces to be open and transparent, and give briefings on the mission in Iraq. This is ridiculous, and he should stand in his place and apologize.Despite the Liberals' claim that Canada's training of the peshmerga is ongoing, generals have confirmed that the operations have shifted away from training. Our contribution to the battle to retake Mosul was supposed to include a field hospital, but the Liberals could not get it done.Will the Minister of National Defence take responsibility, lift the curtain of secrecy, and confirm to the House that he has sent our troops to the front line without proper medical support?

Mr. Speaker, a recent report says Chinese peacekeepers failed to protect civilians on a UN mission in Sudan. In the face of the conflict, they abandoned their weapons, leaving behind weapons and ammunition, and turned their backs on over 300 people who were killed, and thousands more were raped.We learned this week that the Government of China wants to take control of all UN peacekeeping missions. The Prime Minister knew all of this, yet he is still naively pledging 600 Canadian troops to the UN. Does the Prime Minister believe that the Communist dictatorship in China is qualified to command Canadian troops?

Mr. Speaker, despite the House seeing it fit to apologize to Vice-Admiral Norman, the Liberals on the defence committee refused to invite him to tell his story. Today The Globe and Mail is reporting that the Prime Minister is the one who angrily launched the RCMP investigation that identified Mark Norman. The charge against Vice-Admiral Norman has been stayed. A judge said that he is a free man, but the Liberals will not let him talk. Why are the Liberals doing the Prime Minister's dirty work? What are they trying to cover up?

Mr. Speaker, the minister should make sure they are all arrested and prosecuted now.The Prime Minister has admitted that his policy to cut the pay of injured soldiers is having negative consequences, but he refuses to do anything about it. While the Prime Minister defends his billionaire friends, he has already targeted Canadians suffering from diabetes, cut the danger pay of our troops fighting ISIS, and now has removed the allowances for ill and injured soldiers, all of this to pay for the Prime Minister's out of control spending.Will the Prime Minister show some appreciation and respect for the sacrifices being made by our troops and reverse this cold-hearted Liberal policy?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that due to the Liberals' fake capability gap, taxpayers are now on the hook for an extra $18 million to stay in the F-35 program. Let us get this straight. The Liberals are buying old Australian fighter jets we do not need to fill a capability gap that does not exist, and now we are paying tens of millions of dollars on a plane the Prime Minister said he would never buy. Why do Canadians always have to pay for the Prime Minister's mistakes?

Mr. Speaker, since the Liberals will not do it, we thank our troops for neutralizing ISIS terrorists in combat. In February, the Prime Minister told this House that we do not have any troops on the ground at the front lines, but yesterday we learned Canadians are exchanging fire with ISIS on a daily basis.Why are the Liberals trying to hide the fact that our troops are on the front lines and are using lethal force to eliminate ISIS terrorists?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have invented an imaginary capability gap.In 2014, Conservatives invested $400 million to upgrade our CF-18s. Lieutenant-General Michael Hood, Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, has said that the CF-18s' useful life has been extended to 2025 and they can do the job.Meanwhile, the Liberals have fabricated a false narrative to sole-source the Super Hornet.Canadians deserve the truth. So, who is telling the truth? The Royal Canadian Air Force or the Liberals?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government threw a trusted and respected Manitoba chief justice under the bus for callous political reasons. The Liberals leaked Justice Joyal's confidential application to the Supreme Court, and now they are under investigation by the Privacy Commissioner. They trampled on his rights and slandered his good name, all so they could trash the reputation of the former justice minister.Will the current justice minister confirm if he or his office has been contacted by the Privacy Commissioner regarding this leak?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' decision to sole-source the Super Hornet is very dangerous, and is another broken promise. It is dangerous for taxpayers since there was no price announced yesterday. It is dangerous for Canadian jobs since all F-18s are made in Missouri, and it is dangerous to our air force which will now be flying obsolete fighter jets.Do the Liberals even have a clue how much a Super Hornet is going to cost Canadian taxpayers, and how many jobs are going to be lost in Canada's aerospace industry?

Mr. Speaker, we have just learned that a CF-18 fighter jet crashed at CFB Cold Lake. Our thoughts and our prayers are with the pilot, the families, and indeed with everyone in Cold Lake and in the armed forces throughout Canada. Could the Minister of National Defence update the House as to the status of this terrible accident?

Mr. Speaker, trying to use wiggle words instead of making a decision is not leadership.Our Canadian Armed Forces and our veterans want a defence minister, not a spectator. The defence minister sat idly by during a secret ceremony for the Afghanistan memorial, instead of standing up for the families of the fallen. As someone who served in Afghanistan, it is shocking that the minister could be so thoughtless when it comes to honouring our fallen soldiers. Why did the defence minister take part in the secret ceremony when he knew it excluded the families of the fallen?

Mr. Speaker, trying to use wiggle words instead of making a decision is not leadership.Our Canadian Armed Forces and our veterans want a defence minister, not a spectator. The defence minister sat idly by during a secret ceremony for the Afghanistan memorial, instead of standing up for the families of the fallen. As someone who served in Afghanistan, it is shocking that the minister could be so thoughtless when it comes to honouring our fallen soldiers. Why did the defence minister take part in the secret ceremony when he knew it excluded the families of the fallen?

Mr. Speaker, that Liberal cover-up stinks, and I will tell you what else stinks: the Liberal's response since cutting the danger pay of Canadian troops fighting ISIS, and it has been embarrassing. Conservatives forced the hands of the Liberals in fixing this outrageous decision, but today we learned the Liberals issued a ministerial order that is only returning some of the danger pay for some of our troops.Military families who are no longer receiving this military danger pay are now turning to food banks to get by.Why is the Minister of National Defence not standing up for our troops who are being treated so poorly by these Liberals?

Madam Speaker, I know the Liberals are very uncomfortable with this very inconvenient truth. Let me repeat that subsection 139(2) of the Criminal Code says that everyone who “wilfully attempts in any manner...to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice is guilty of an indictable offence”.We know that the Clerk of the Privy Council, the Prime Minister and Gerry Butts wilfully attempted to have the former Attorney General interfere in the trial. That is a criminal offence. Will the justice minister admit that this constitutes a crime?

Mr. Speaker, despite confirmation that the Russians downed Malaysia Airlines MH17, the Liberals are still pursuing their asinine policy of normalizing relations with Russia, even though Russia invaded and illegally annexed Crimea and is waging a war in eastern Ukraine, and even though Russia is bombing and killing hundreds of civilians in Syria while it props up the brutal Assad regime.When will the foreign minister get his head out of the clouds and realize that any step to rationalize our relations with Russia is a threat to international security and Canadian sovereignty?

Mr. Speaker, our thoughts and prayers are with the families and the victims of the horrific terrorist attack by ISIS in Brussels this morning. It is another tragic reminder of the extreme danger posed by terrorism. The Liberals continue to ignore the threat of terrorism. In fact, one of their very first pieces of legislation was to return Canadian citizenship to convicted terrorists. I would like to remind the Liberals that a terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist. Why will the Prime Minister not take the fight against terror seriously and put Canada back in the combat mission against ISIS?

Mr. Speaker, terrorist, Abu Huzaifa has admitted to authorities, the CBC, and the New York Times that he left Canada to join ISIS. ISIS officials in Syria confirm that he joined their terrorist group. I would like to remind the Prime Minister that it is illegal under the Criminal Code to leave Canada to join a terrorist organization. It is illegal to be trained as a terrorist. It is illegal to be an ISIS enforcer and executioner. Abu Huzaifa is the worst of the worst, and committed war crimes. When will the Prime Minister finally take action, put public safety first, and arrest this terrorist?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' denying tax credits for diabetics and chronically ill Canadians is a heartless Liberal policy, and it gets worse. The Liberals' asinine policy of cutting pay for injured members of the Canadian Armed Forces is also wrong. These members have sustained mental and physical injuries in service of Canada, and instead of thanking them, what does the defence minister do? He cuts their pay.When will the Liberal government reverse this cold-hearted policy and actually start to support our injured troops and give back the money they deserve?

Mr. Speaker, soldiers deployed in the fight against ISIS are saying that they feel despair after the minister betrayed them by not fully restoring their danger pay. This is in addition to the Minister of National Defence's already established casual relationship with the truth that is demoralizing our troops.A 27-year veteran stated, “The Defence Minister cannot continue to lead the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, having lost the respect and trust in this way.”Will the minister listen to the voices of those who have served, do the honourable thing and resign?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' decision to sole-source the Super Hornet is very dangerous, and is another broken promise. It is dangerous for taxpayers since there was no price announced yesterday. It is dangerous for Canadian jobs since all F-18s are made in Missouri, and it is dangerous to our air force which will now be flying obsolete fighter jets.Do the Liberals even have a clue how much a Super Hornet is going to cost Canadian taxpayers, and how many jobs are going to be lost in Canada's aerospace industry?

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that he is waiting until June 7, because the Liberals continue to dither and delay on releasing their defence policy review, which is already six months behind schedule.Instead of rolling out his beleaguered defence policy here, the Minister of National Defence went to Washington and showed it to the U.S. administration first.What was the point of delaying this announcement after the Liberals' so-called consultations with Canadians, if in the end the Americans have a veto over our defence policy? Why are the Liberals showing the defence policy review to President Trump first, before they show it to Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is willing to stifle, silence, and outright contradict government and military officials, all to save face for the Prime Minister. Despite what the defence minister says, official documents prove there is no capability gap in our fighter fleet, it was the Liberals who cut danger pay to our troops, and our allies were not happy with the decision of the Liberals to withdraw our CF18s from the fight against ISIS. When will the Minister of National Defence admit he is misleading Canadians, and put an end to his dirty little habit?

Mr. Speaker, we are just asking for the schedule of the President of the Treasury Board. Here is the inconvenient truth. I can tell the President of the Treasury Board that he has met with Irving 16 times since he became minister, and those are just the publicly disclosed meetings. It does not include emails, texts, or instant messaging. That is information that Vice-Admiral Norman needs to build his defence. Why will the Liberals not release this information? What are they trying to hide and who are they trying to protect?

Mr. Speaker, the defence minister insensitively announced, on Remembrance Day, a three-year deployment of Canadian troops to a number of unspecified African countries. The minister said, “These missions, all of them, have the level of risk where peacekeepers have been hurt, they have been killed”. In Mali alone, 106 UN peacekeepers have been killed by terrorists. Why would the defence minister choose to announce on Remembrance Day that he is sending our troops to dangerous UN-led African missions?

Mr. Speaker, over a year ago, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman was suspended. His home and office were raided, without any explanation, and to date no charges have been laid. The Prime Minister has been interfering with this case by publicly speculating about the outcome of the investigation. Last week, he declared again that this case would end up in court. This is blatant political interference.Does the Prime Minister not realize that his careless comments are tainting an active investigation into one of Canada's highest-ranking members of the Canadian Armed Forces?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians get really tired of waiting for the Liberal government to do something about securing our borders. They are also really tired of seeing the Liberal government tax our troops who are in the fight against ISIS. This has to stop right now. These men and women in uniform were promised up to $1,800 per month in danger pay, yet halfway through their mission, the Liberals pulled away these benefits. Trying to pinch pennies on the backs of our troops and military families is wrong and it is immoral. Will the defence minister support our Conservative motion to give back the danger pay, and will he give these benefits to all our troops who are putting their lives on the line in the fight against ISIS now—

Mr. Speaker, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali is the most dangerous peacekeeping mission in the world. One hundred and sixty-two peacekeepers have been killed since 2014. The reality is that Mali is a war zone, and there is no peace to keep. General Roméo Dallaire said, back in 2016, “I wouldn't touch Mali with a 10-foot pole.” He is talking from experience, after living through the UN debacle in Rwanda, with awful rules of engagement and bureaucratic chains of command.Will the Prime Minister come clean about the UN rules of engagement and the chain of command our troops are going to be under in this dangerous mission in Mali?

Mr. Speaker, over the weekend General Jonathan Vance acknowledged that today's conflicts do not have the characteristics of those in the past. The chief of the defence staff recognized that one of Canada's signature peacekeeping missions in the Sinai is growing more violent. As well, Canadian troops are now on the front lines in the fight against ISIS in Iraq.However, the Prime Minister said we are only training Iraqi troops. Why is the Prime Minister misinforming Canadians about these dangerous combat missions?

Mr. Speaker, the question is about transparency and being open with Canadians.The Prime Minister is currently campaigning on the backs of 600 Canadian troops to earn a UN Security Council seat, even though he shamefully said yesterday that he blamed soldiers for his lack of transparency.This comes from a Prime Minister who said last year that the Liberal Party could not support any military mission when the arguments to support it had not been presented in an open and transparent manner.Despite the Prime Minister's outrageous contradictions, will he tell Canadians exactly where, when and why he has blindly committed our troops to an undefined UN mission in Africa?

Mr. Speaker, when the defence minister was in Iraq in 2015, he said, “I haven't had one discussion about the CF-18s”. However, an email from Global Affairs states that at a December 2015 meeting, the Iraqi defence minister pleaded with the Liberal government to reconsider withdrawing Canada's fighter jets, on numerous occasions.How can the defence minister blatantly ignore the requests of the Iraqi government and then turn around and knowingly mislead Canadians about it?

Mr. Speaker, violent intentions in Ukraine are on the rise with an increase in violations of the Minsk peace agreements. Unfortunately, the Liberal support for Ukraine is on the decline. Extending our Conservative military mission in Ukraine is welcome, but there is more that Canada can offer. The Liberals have already cancelled supplies of radar satellite images, they refuse to sign the defence co-operation agreement, and they have backed down from their campaign promise to implement Magnitsky-style sanctions on corrupt foreign officials.Will the Liberals stop disappointing our Ukrainian allies and respect the request for providing lethal defensive weapons?

Mr. Speaker, we do not want to confuse what is happening with Russian aggression in Ukraine with human rights abusers in Russia.Bill Browder, who has been seeking justice for Sergei Magnitsky for years now, says that the Minister of Foreign Affairs is wrong. He calls the argument from the minister a betrayal in every possible form, and is especially deplorable because it involves the appeasement of a dictatorial regime.Our Conservative legislation would close all the loopholes. These measures are supported by members of Parliament from all parties. Does the minister think that he knows better than Bill Browder, Bob Rae, and Irwin Cotler?

Mr. Speaker, the procurement minister should talk to the Royal Canadian Air Force before she talks to Boeing.The Liberal government has relentlessly undermined our military leadership. This weekend, the procurement minister continued to contradict the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force. She attacked General Hood and torqued up the Liberals' rhetoric on the fake capability gap. As a matter of fact, reports and experts agree that a capability gap would only occur if the Liberals try to extend the life of our CF-18s past 2025.Instead of playing politics, why will the procurement minister not listen to the Royal Canadian Air Force? It is the expert.

Mr. Speaker, we are not in combat; we are now just trainers.Last week the American government condemned the actions of ISIS as genocide. Rather than working with our allies to destroy this barbaric terrorist group, our Prime Minister has taken Canada out of the fight. The Liberals are ignoring Canada's responsibility to protect the most vulnerable citizens who are targeted by ISIS. Why is the Prime Minister afraid to fight terrorism head on and stop the ISIS genocide?

Mr. Speaker, it was bad enough last week when Canada was not invited to the anti-ISIS meeting in Paris. The Liberal government was snubbed because it expects other nations to fight terrorism while it cuts and runs, taking out our CF-18s without a plan. Then late last week, the rookie Minister of National Defence blamed our allies for the spread of terrorism. Instead of condescendingly lecturing our allies, why does the defence minister not finally tell us how he will use our military in the fight against ISIS?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have no plan and the Prime Minister is failing our Canadian Armed Forces. This week we have learned things are so bad that our soldiers are being ordered to return their rucksacks and their sleeping bags to be used by others. Now we have learned that the cost of building the joint supply ships has skyrocketed another billion dollars over budget and the forces will not even take the first delivery until probably sometime in 2023. How can Canadians trust the Prime Minister to deliver on navy ships when he cannot even buy enough sleeping bags for our troops?

Mr. Speaker, how many times has the minister said that fib over the last two years? Veterans are disgusted that the minister took credit for his role in the battlefield that involved hundreds of soldiers. That is valour stolen. The defence minister is now a laughingstock. His reputation is damaged beyond repair. Canadians do not believe him. The military does not trust him, and our allies are not going to take him seriously.How can the Prime Minister still have confidence in the defence minister?

Again, Mr. Speaker, there is no plan ISIS is a jihadi terrorist organization that is committing mass atrocities against religious and ethnic minorities. These are terrorists who believe in a dangerously radicalized version of Islam. The Liberals are constantly rationalizing their behaviour and making excuses for ISIS. Now the Minister of National Defence is blaming climate change for ISIS.Does the Minister of National Defence actually believe that climate change creates jihadi terrorists?

Mr. Speaker, nobody trusts the Liberals to deliver on that promise.The Liberals unveiled their defence and foreign policies, and surprise, surprise, there were no details of a UN peacekeeping mission in either of them. It has been almost a year since the Prime Minister naively promised 600 troops to a vague UN peacekeeping mission. Documents show that the Liberals have turned down five UN leadership roles and will not commit to a single UN mission.The Prime Minister has said that Canada is back. Now he is backing away from UN peacekeeping missions after stepping back from the fight against ISIS. When will the Prime Minister finally step up and quit embarrassing Canada on the world stage?

Madam Speaker, the defence minister completed a fact-finding mission to Africa, and ministers have been attending peacekeeping conferences. The Prime Minister has already blindly committed 600 Canadian soldiers to the United Nations, yet still no details for Canadians. As defence critic, the member for Vancouver Quadra said, “It is essential that Canadians [know] the specific nature of the mission...specific activities our forces will be engaged in, and the expected duration of the deployment”.Will the defence minister finally tell Canadians these essential details, or will the Liberals keep hiding behind their curtain of secrecy?

Mr. Speaker, of course the public safety minister has taken away the powers from all those police agencies. Two Canadians travel to Iraq. One goes to fight ISIS with the Canadian Armed Forces, the other decides to join the death cult as a terrorist. Both come back to Canada. The Canadian soldier is injured while serving our country, and the Liberals cut his pay. The ISIS terrorist, on the other hand, also comes back to Canada, but is offered taxpayer-funded reintegration training by the Liberals. Why is the Prime Minister cutting the pay for our injured troops while funding support services for ISIS terrorists?

Mr. Speaker, when our troops are deployed on dangerous missions Canadians deserve to know the details. The Prime Minister missed another opportunity to be open and transparent with Canadians. Rather than tabling his African mission in the House, the Prime Minister went to the UN instead. The Prime Minister is playing political games in hopes of getting a seat on the UN Security Council and is shamefully using our troops as pawns.Will the Prime Minister start respecting Parliament and bring this dangerous UN mission to the House for a full debate and a vote, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, when asked about his defence minister's comments that Canada will find the root causes of the problems in Africa, the Prime Minister said, “Canada has an awful lot to offer other than just stopping people from shooting at each other”.The Liberals will be sending our soldiers to some of the most dangerous parts of the world in Africa. When radicalized terrorists start shooting at civilians or at our troops, will they be able to defend themselves, or are they expected to just talk to the jihadists about their feelings or the root causes of the conflict?

Mr. Speaker, the minister's misleading comments about his service record are a direct hit on our men and women in uniform. Yesterday, a parent of a Canadian Armed Forces member wrote me saying that the minister's stolen valour “has directly affected the morale and confidence of Canada's front line infantry soldiers”. The feelings of our troops and veterans have gone from disappointment and outrage to distrust and dismay. Will the minister do the honourable thing and resign?

Mr. Speaker, for months Ukraine has been calling on the Liberals to extend Canada's military training mission beyond its March deadline.With escalating Russian aggression, our Ukrainian allies are concerned that the Liberals have turned their backs on them again. The Liberals have already cancelled life-saving satellite images, they have refused to provide the final signature on a defence co-operation agreement with Ukraine, and they backed down on a campaign promise to put sanctions on corrupt Russian officials. Operation Unifier must be extended.Why are the Liberals not standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine in its fight against Putin's proxies?

Mr. Speaker, the defence minister knows that there are consequences for being dishonest and untrustworthy under the military's code of conduct and ethics, and the defence minister understands that as a veteran. The minister's apology does not repair the damage he created. Canadians do not believe him. Our military does not trust him. How can the Prime Minister have any confidence in the minister?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal budget is an attack on our armed forces. The Liberals slashed $3.7 billion from the defence budget, and they are killing military procurement for five years. Our armed forces cannot afford another dark era of Liberal neglect. The Liberals have put us on the sidelines in the war against terrorism.Why will the Liberal government not support our troops?

Mr. Speaker, an ISIS terrorist who returned to Canada in the past few years recently gave an interview with The New York Times podcast “Caliphate”. In the podcast, Abu Huzaifa states that he worked for ISIS enforcing sharia law in Syria. He brags about getting splattered with blood while brutally lashing people who broke their laws, and he proudly admits to murdering ISIS prisoners and having the irony smell of blood on his hands.When is the Prime Minister going to stop allowing these bloodthirsty terrorists to walk on our streets, and throw them in jail instead?

Mr. Speaker, we had a plan, a plan that was respected by our allies. Last week resembled a blast from the past, a time a former Trudeau government would cozy up to communist regimes and chastise our allies. Last week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated that Canada was going to normalize relations with totalitarian regimes like Iran and Russia, and then on Friday, our rookie Minister of National Defence suggested our allies were to blame for all that is wrong in the Middle East and the spread of terrorism.Why are the Liberals lecturing our allies on how to fight terrorism while at the same time befriending Putin and Iran?

Mr. Speaker, it is still absurd that the defence is still waiting for documents from the government. The Liberals claim they did nothing wrong, yet the defence minister regrets the process Vice-Admiral Norman went through. What does he regret? Was it that the Liberals withheld documents from the RCMP? Was it that they withheld documents from the public prosecutor? Was it that they withheld documents from Norman's defence team?When will the Prime Minister finally set the truth free, and will he testify at the national defence committee?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised to implement Magnitsky-style legislation so Canada could quickly sanction corrupt foreign officials, but he has done absolutely nothing.Last week the Assad regime perpetrated another war crime. Both Russia and Iran support the Syrian regime. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister has spent his time in office normalizing relationships with Russia, dropping sanctions against Iran, and stopping bombing in Syria by our CF-18s.Last night the Senate passed Bill S-226, the Sergei Magnitsky bill. Will the Prime Minister quit cosying up to dictators and despots and support this bill?

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are very concerned with the comments made by the Minister of Defence yesterday when he said we must not “repeat the mistakes of the past”. Over 40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan. One hundred and fifty-nine gave their lives. Was it a mistake that the hard work of our armed forces enabled millions of children to go to school, including over three million girls? Was it a mistake that we restored the rights of women so they could work and have health care? Does the minister believe these successes, as we fought the Taliban, were all just a mistake?

Mr. Speaker, the fact that the Minister of Foreign Affairs is willing to trade appeasement with Russia for a membership in the International Syria Support Group and turn a blind eye to human rights abusers is appalling, to say the least. Innocent victims like Sergei Magnitsky are routinely subject to unjustified arrest, torture, and murder at the hands of corrupt officials.Will the Prime Minister follow through on the Liberal campaign promise and support the Magnitsky bill?

Mr. Speaker, instead of the defence minister talking about mistakes of the past, let us talk about mistakes of the present. Taking our CF-18s out of the air combat mission is a mistake. The delays are a mistake. Incoherent comments are a mistake. Undermining Canada's reputation is a mistake.When will the Minister of National Defence quit dithering, admit his mistakes, and finally give us the plan to fight ISIS?

Mr. Speaker, Royal Canadian Air Force commander General Hood confirmed yesterday that the Liberals unilaterally changed the number of jets the air force needed. When asked why, he said, “I'm not privy to the decisions behind the policy change”. On a decision of this magnitude, why is the Minister of National Defence not consulting the commander of the air force? Why is the minister playing politics with our military?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' fighter jet replacement fiasco has gone from bad to worse. The Prime Minister has stated that Boeing is no longer a trusted partner and has threatened to cancel all future projects with Boeing. This includes the Liberals' asinine interim purchase of 18 Super Hornets, which has been mocked by the entire defence community. Will the Liberal government stop playing partisan political games with our troops and immediately launch an open and transparent competition?

Mr. Speaker, the justice minister just besmirched the appointment process for all justices. It is shocking that the Prime Minister thinks that he is above the law, whether it is pressuring his own attorney general to influence the independent prosecutor or leaking details to damage the reputation of a sitting judge. This Prime Minister's government is corrupt. Canada's legal community, the OECD and Transparency International have serious concerns about the Prime Minister's scandals. Will the Liberals launch an investigation into this leak, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have refused to provide any details about the deployment of 600 Canadian troops to a dangerous African mission. Canadians are demanding the facts. Yesterday, the defence minister broke his promise to provide Canadians with the information by the end of this year. He is now saying he is going to hide that information until next year. This is not like keeping our children's Christmas presents a surprise. The lives of our soldiers are on the line.Will the Liberals finally start being transparent about their blatant political decision, and allow for a full debate and a vote before they deploy our troops to Mali?

Mr. Speaker, the minister should make sure they are all arrested and prosecuted now.The Prime Minister has admitted that his policy to cut the pay of injured soldiers is having negative consequences, but he refuses to do anything about it. While the Prime Minister defends his billionaire friends, he has already targeted Canadians suffering from diabetes, cut the danger pay of our troops fighting ISIS, and now has removed the allowances for ill and injured soldiers, all of this to pay for the Prime Minister's out of control spending.Will the Prime Minister show some appreciation and respect for the sacrifices being made by our troops and reverse this cold-hearted Liberal policy?

Mr. Speaker, when I asked the defence minister in December to fix the inequity of awarding danger pay and benefits to some but not all of our troops fighting ISIS, the minister said he would. It never crossed my mind the Liberals would do that by taking away everyone's danger pay. Canadian troops stationed in Kuwait are now having their paycheques reduced by over $1,500 a month by the Liberals. Why is the Prime Minister betraying our brave men and women who are in the fight against ISIS?

Mr. Speaker, I rise on Standing Order 18 to deal with some disrespectful comments at committee by the member for Kelowna—Lake Country.I realize that committees are masters of their own domain, but I would welcome your opinion on this situation, and would invite you to remind all chair occupants to be very fair, temperate, and unbiased when they are in the chair.The example I wish to give is a comment by the member for Kelowna—Lake Country, who is the chair of the Standing Committee on National Defence. It was just brought to my attention this morning that at our last meeting at the defence committee on Thursday, December 1, the chair, the member for Kelowna—Lake Country, said, when he thought his microphone was shut off after an exchange between him and me—and I do not think he was referring to the Minister of National Defence, who I was questioning—“You jerk” in response to me, at 12:24:13.I would invite you, Mr. Speaker, to remind all chair occupants to be fair and temperate and to act in a parliamentary manner to ensure proper discourse at our committees—

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government will be foolishly putting billions of taxpayer money at risk when it announces very soon it will be sole-sourcing Super Hornet fighter jets. Respected Professor Elinor Sloan stated: The...government’s plan to sole-source...Super Hornet fighter jets is wrong. The Super Hornet may—or may not—be the right aircraft for Canada, but we won’t know [that] until there is a full competition for the contract. Why will the Liberals not hold an open, fair, and transparent competition that ensures that we get the best value for the Canadian taxpayer, the best jobs for Canadians, and the best aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force?

Mr. Speaker, I think the minister is too ashamed to admit how he voted at the UN.Yesterday, we learned the defence minister is making another trip to Africa. It seems the Liberals are hell-bent on sending 600 Canadian troops into harm's way. Before the minister sends our troops anywhere, he should explain to Canadians what interest we have in sending troops to Mali where 100 peacekeepers have already been killed.Will the Prime Minister admit that sending troops to Mali serves no Canadian interests, other than his own vain campaign to win himself a seat at the UN Security Council?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are propagating the greatest hoax in Canadian defence procurement history. There is no capability gap. Defence Research and Development Canada said that we only needed 65 jets to meet our NORAD and NATO commitments. The commander of the air force said that our CF-18s could fly until 2025. Yesterday, officials from the Department of National Defence confirmed that all 77 CF-18s could be flown right until 2025.Will the defence minister listen to his officials or will he keep doubling down on the Liberal credibility gap?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals always say “just trust us”, but Canadians are not buying it. Canadians deserve to know where our troops are being sent, what drugs they will be prescribed while they are there, what the exit strategy is, and how this mission is in Canada's national interest. Before sending their troops to Mali, the Dutch government outlined this important information to its parliament. This is exactly the type of information the Liberals demanded when they were in opposition.When will the minister do the right thing and be honest with Canadians about this mission?

Mr. Speaker, Vice-Admiral Norman served this country with dignity and honour. He is a respected leader in the Canadian Armed Forces, and he has the right to a fair trial. He deserves a fair trial, but that does not matter to the Prime Minister. He has tainted the admiral's case twice by saying that this case would end up before the courts, even before the charges were laid. This is despite the fact that two other individuals have been linked to these documents and have never, ever been charged. Will the Prime Minister hand over the documents Mark Norman needs to have a fair trial so that he can properly defend himself?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, documents tabled in the House confirmed what we have been saying all along. The Liberals' capability gap for our CF-18s is imaginary. The Minister of National Defence reported that the Liberals have yet to determine when any of our CF-18s will need to be retired. The minister himself has said the CF-18s will be extended to 2025. Will the defence minister tell the Prime Minister to put aside his ill-advised campaign promise and hold an open and fair competition?

Madam Speaker, Manitobans deserve the right to sell their resources abroad. Minnesota is willing to buy the clean hydroelectric power that Manitoba proudly produces. The National Energy Board has approved the transmission lines, but the Prime Minister is overruling the decision and is trying to stop the project. It is clear that the Prime Minister is holding a grudge against Manitoba because it will not go along with his carbon tax. Why will the Prime Minister not let Manitoba sell its clean energy?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals broke their promise to Canadians for a fair and open competition to replace our CF-18s. Then they misled Canadians by creating an imaginary capability gap. Now the Liberals refuse to invest the $400 million that we budgeted to extend the life of our CF-18s. When will the tell Minister of Defence tell the Prime Minister to quit playing politics with our troops, with Canadians workers, and with Canadian taxpayers?

Mr. Speaker, that does not fix this current situation. The defence minister is a proud veteran, and he knows better than anyone how important danger pay is not just for our brave men and women in uniform but for their families back at home as well. We all knew the Liberals would cut defence spending, but we did not ever imagine they would literally do it on the backs of our soldiers and military families. Will the defence minister quit taking his marching orders from the Prime Minister, fight for our troops, and reinstate all of the danger pay and benefits for all of our troops who are in the fight against ISIS?

Mr. Speaker, all we have so far from the Liberals is a bunch of worn out Aussie jets. The Macdonald-Laurier Institute report says: As a result of this government’s policies, its ability to conduct its most basic function, the defence of Canadian sovereignty and that of our allies, is diminishing rapidly. When will the Prime Minister stop putting his own partisan interests ahead of Canada's national security?

Mr. Speaker, it sounds like the Liberal cover-up is continuing.Vice-Admiral Mark Norman served this country with honour and distinction for 30 years, yet the Liberals will not even give him 30 seconds at one committee meeting to tell his story. They are covering up and protecting the Prime Minister and his involvement in this matter. The Globe and Mail revealed today that the Prime Minister is the one who demanded the investigation. Why would the Prime Minister think it is appropriate to politically direct an RCMP investigation?

Mr. Speaker, for more than a year, our CF-18s have been eliminating ISIS fighting positions and taking out its critical supply lines. Every successful bombing has limited its ability to threaten civilians and has weakened ISIS' capacity.ISIS has now fled to countries like Libya because air strikes have decimated its funding and weapons. ISIS is on the run.Why is the Prime Minister abandoning the fight when our contribution to the air strikes is so invaluable?

Mr. Speaker, I do not know if the minister could hear my question over all the noise of the paper shredding machines up in the Prime Minister's Office right now.If the government has nothing to hide, why is it refusing to answer the questions? We are not asking the Liberals to comment on the court case; we are asking them to turn over the evidence that serving vice-admiral can use to defend himself. Why the cover-up? Have they already destroyed the evidence? Are they trying to protect someone?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces were ordered to return their sleeping bags and rucksacks because of an equipment shortage. The Prime Minister is failing our Canadian Armed Forces. Already he broke the Liberal promise and cut another $2.3 billion from defence spending. This is unacceptable. How can Canadians trust the Prime Minister to buy navy ships and fighter jets when he cannot even get buying sleeping bags right? How can we trust him to provide the right equipment to our troops who are about to deploy to Mali?

Mr. Speaker, again, the only capability gap is on the Liberal bench. Conservatives wisely budgeted $400 million to extend the life our of CF-18s. Last month, the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force testified that our fighter jets will fly until 2025. Documents tabled yesterday by the minister's representatives confirmed that not one CF-18 has been assigned a retirement date. Will the Minister of National Defence finally admit that his imaginary capability gap is a complete fabrication?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has not given Canadians a single good reason why we should stop bombing ISIS with our fighter jets. Matthew Fisher, a senior foreign correspondent, noted that despite diplomatic niceties, the idea that our allies would be happy to see our CF-18s come home is hogwash. General Vance has said that by tripling the number of special operation forces on the ground, it increases the risk. Why is the Prime Minister reducing our capabilities, taking us out of the fight against ISIS, and putting our troops at risk?

Mr. Speaker, even the Prime Minister does not trust the defence minister to speak honestly anymore and rolled out other Liberal MPs to talk to the media instead. According to the National Defence code of ethics, “being a person of integrity calls for honesty [and] the avoidance of deception..”. It requires “the pursuit of truth regardless of personal consequences..”. Even the Prime Minister's own code states, “Ministers... must act with honesty..”. Based on these standards, can the defence minister honestly explain whether he has any integrity left?

Mr. Speaker, the Manitoba-Minnesota hydro transmission project is good for Manitoba and is good for the environment by replacing Minnesota's coal-fired power plants. However, the Prime Minister has made it perfectly clear: It is either his way or the highway.Former B.C. premier Christy Clark had it right when she said the Prime Minister does not consider himself first among equals, because he believes that he is the only one who has no equal.Will the Prime Minister just once humble himself, change course and allow Manitoba to build this clean energy project?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister refused to answer questions about Vice-Admiral Mark Norman's case 24 times. The Prime Minister refused to explain why he is obstructing justice and he refuses to hand over the evidence that Vice-Admiral Norman needs to defend himself.On Tuesday, the President of the Treasury Board said that his only contact with Irving was to have been copied on a letter. Will the President of the Treasury Board tell the House how many times he has met with representatives from Irving?

Mr. Speaker, these leaks had to come from somebody very close to the Prime Minister. The Liberal government's corrupt practices know no bounds. It did not hesitate to drag the good name of Manitoba's chief justice through the mud.The justice minister, in his own words, said, “I am concerned by the publication of details of the most recent Supreme Court justice selection. The integrity of our process depends on confidentiality...in the administration of justice.”If the justice minister believes his own words, why has he not started an investigation into these leaks?

What about the vote, Mr. Speaker? This summer, the Minister of National Defence admitted peacekeeping no longer exists, yet in the Speech from the Throne, the Liberals promised to “renew Canada’s commitment to United Nations peacekeeping”. However, distinguished General Roméo Dallaire has said that there will be more Canadian casualties on the sub-Saharan mission.Will the Prime Minister admit that he misled Canadians by promising to do peacekeeping when he knew that our troops would be placed in harm's way on the UN mission in Africa?

Mr. Speaker, NATO has recommitted its efforts to stop radical terrorism and is sending more resources to the fight against ISIS. Everyone is doing their part except Canada. The Liberal government recently pulled out one of our Aurora surveillance aircraft, and this is on top of withdrawing our CF-18s.Canada's contribution to the fight against ISIS expires in exactly one month, and the Liberal government is stepping back. Is the defence minister the architect of Canada's retreat from the fight against ISIS?

Mr. Speaker, the minister may want to actually think about what actually happened here and that it was the Prime Minister who demanded the investigation to find a scapegoat for his cabinet leaks. On two occasions, the Prime Minister stated publicly that Vice-Admiral Norman would be charged, even before the charges were laid and the investigation was complete. We now know that the Liberals withheld evidence from the RCMP, the public prosecutor and Vice-Admiral Norman's defence team. Vice-Admiral Norman deserves better than this kind of treatment from the Liberals.Why are the Liberals tarnishing the great reputation of Vice-Admiral Norman just to protect the Prime Minister?

Mr. Speaker, it is fine and well for the defence minister to stand in here or out in the foyer and read an apology prepared by the Prime Minister, but yesterday he turned his back on Afghan vets when the defence minister refused to attend a fundraiser to support these brave men and women. There is no one more deserving of an apology from the minister than those whose valour he has stolen. Allowing the minister to sit at the cabinet table sets a very poor example of leadership for our military and for all Canadians. Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and ask the defence minister for his resignation?

Mr. Speaker, we need to do a reality check here.While the Prime Minister and the defence minister claim that there is a CF-18 capability gap, the fact is that the Liberals have a credibility gap on this issue. Just last week when asked about the supposed capability gap in committee, the chief of the defence staff said, “That is a false deduction.” The Prime Minister's Office has manipulated the Liberal cabinet to force a sole-source contract. The only solution to fix this mess by the Prime Minister is to do the right thing. Will the Liberals hold a fair and open competition to get the best fighter jets for the brave men and women in uniform?

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, the U.S.-led air combat coalition successfully took out the ISIS war minister.The Pentagon said this is a victory on the battlefield and will hurt ISIS' ability to recruit foreign fighters. Clearly, these air strikes are working, but the Liberals have taken us out of the fight. Just once, can the Minister of National Defence coherently explain why the Canadian Armed Forces cannot do both air strikes and training?

Mr. Speaker, we learned today that the Liberals' plan to sole-source the Super Hornet is going to cost taxpayers between $5 billion and $7 billion to buy an obsolete fighter aircraft.The Prime Minister campaigned on purchasing the Super Hornet for $65 million each, but that number is going to more than double and could actually exceed $300 million a plane. Will the Prime Minister do the right thing for our air force, for our taxpayers, and stop this political purchase and immediately proceed to launch an open and fair competition to replace our CF-18s?

Mr. Speaker, the minister is waffling. Over 40,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces have served in Afghanistan, fighting terrorism and barbarism. There were 158 Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to Canada. The Afghanistan mission was started under a Liberal government, and it was the longest appointment of the Canadian Armed Forces in history.Canada has a proud military history, which includes the war in Afghanistan. Why is the Liberal government dishonouring our Afghanistan veterans and cancelling the national memorial to Canada's mission in Afghanistan?

Mr. Speaker, it is a manufactured, make-believe capability gap the minister speaks of.The Prime Minister has been campaigning on the backs of our men and women in uniform in the Canadian Armed Forces to earn himself a temporary seat on the UN Security Council. The defence minister has refused to say where in Africa our troops will be going, and he knows our troops will be in combat against child soldiers. Clearly, this is not a peacekeeping mission.Before the Prime Minister sends our troops into combat against child soldiers in Africa, will he bring this UN combat mission to the House for a full debate and a vote?

Mr. Speaker, that is what we would call all hat, no horse.A government email confirms that the Iraqi government asked Canada to continue its bombing mission against ISIS on multiple occasions. Our Kurdish and Iraqi partners in the fight against ISIS describe our air strikes as effective and life-saving and as destroying the enemy.Our allies repeatedly asked Canada to keep our CF-18s in the fight, but the minister ignored them and told Canadians that our partners and allies were okay with the Liberals' decision. Canadians cannot trust the Minister of National Defence when he continues to mislead us. Will the Prime Minister make the Minister of National Defence apologize?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' first decision involving our fighter jets was to park them on the sidelines while allies continued to degrade ISIS from the air.Now, the Liberals are making up an imaginary capability gap. They should really listen to the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force who said that our CF-18s have the capability to get the job done until 2025.When the minister claims there is a capability gap, is he saying that the Royal Canadian Air Force is lying?

Mr. Speaker, in 2014, before our troops were ever deployed to Kuwait, the Conservative government ensured that they would be entitled to full danger pay. If the defence minister does not believe me, he can check Finance Canada's website. The first cuts by the Liberals were done on September 1, 2016. If the minister does not take action now, a lot more troops on other missions will be impacted in June. It is unjust for the Liberals to take away $1,800 each month from each of our troops who is in harm's way.Will the minister stop funding the Prime Minister's out-of-control spending on the backs of our troops?

Mr. Speaker, the air strikes are working. The global terrorist threat is real. It has taken the lives of Canadians, both here at home and abroad.The government's priority should be ensuring the safety of Canadians. Our CF-18s are important in the fight to destroy ISIS, so it cannot threaten Canadians.Does the Prime Minister actually believe reasoning with genocidal terrorists would be more effective than missile strikes by our CF-18s?

Mr. Speaker, protecting the members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families must be a priority for every government. Last week the media tagged along on General Vance's tour to Iraq and had some face time with special operations forces. The problem is that the media published the faces of the soldiers it met. When this happened under our government, we took full responsibility and fixed the mistake.I have a simple question. Will the defence minister own up to this error and ensure the identity of our troops is protected?

Mr. Speaker, the defence minister has been telling so many fictional stories that he cannot keep his facts straight. For example, in 2015 the minister claimed that General Vance coined the term that he was the architect for his work back in 2006 on Operation Medusa, but that cannot be true because General Vance did not take command in Afghanistan until 2009. The minister's fabrication was no mistake. This was his personal choice. If the Prime Minister lacks the good judgment to fire the minister, will the defence minister do the honourable thing and resign?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals will not even use our fighter jets to defeat and degrade ISIS, and the Liberal suggestion that our fighter jets are literally on their last legs is patently false. We know that our fighter jets can operate effectively until 2025, and there is no urgency to replace them on an interim basis. The Liberals do not need to sole source the Super Hornet to transition from the CF-18 to avoid their imaginary capability gap. Why are the Liberals misleading Canadians and breaking their promise for a fair and transparent competition?

Mr. Speaker, the defence minister's plan to sole source Super Hornets is spiralling out of control and taking a nosedive. The former chief of defence staff Tom Lawson is stating that there is no one except the government that believes 18 Super Hornets will be useful for Canada. The defence minister says that Boeing is no longer a trusted partner and that he is looking at many different options.What options is the defence minister talking about? The Liberals will not buy Super Hornets from Boeing, and their website still says that they will not buy F-35s either. Are the Liberals going to sole source our fighter jets from their communist friends in Beijing?

Mr. Speaker, stationed in Kuwait, Canada currently has one refuelling aircraft, two surveillance aircraft, and over 300 aircrew. Canadians have conducted over 3,000 sorties over top of ISIS territory. In 2014, a Jordanian pilot was captured and burned to death by ISIS.Even though Canadian aircrews are contributing to air strikes against ISIS on a daily basis, the Liberals are cancelling their danger pay. Will the defence minister show some leadership, do what is right for our troops and their families, and reverse this cold-hearted decision?

Mr. Speaker, that is an admission that James Cudmore is in the middle of the Mark Norman trial. In November 2015, CBC journalist James Cudmore broke an exclusive story about the Liberals stopping the construction of a new supply ship for our navy. Two months later, that very same journalist had a brand new job and, surprise, he was a senior policy adviser to the Minister of National Defence. When did James Cudmore first discuss his employment with the minister's office? Was this position created to reward him for his great reporting or were the Liberals trying to shut Cudmore up for his—

Mr. Speaker, from helicopters to submarines, and now fighter jets, the legacy of the Liberals is to buy old and make do.The Liberals have made up their minds to buy the Super Hornet and now are working on the right narrative to support it.Let us be perfectly clear. The Liberals are only sole-sourcing the Super Hornets to fulfill an ill-advised political campaign promise. Simply put, the Canadian Armed Forces deserve a lot better.Will the Prime Minister admit that he broke his promise for an open and fair competition to replace our fighter jets?

Mr. Speaker, let us use Remembrance Day to honour our veterans and not use it for political purposes.Military commanders on the ground broke the Liberals' cone of silence because “they want the Canadian public to have a better understanding of the...mission” in Iraq. The Liberal government not only has attempted to silence our military, it continues to mislead Canadians by insisting we are in a non-combat role. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Hunter confirmed Canadians troops had been the first ones to engage the enemy on multiple occasions. Will the Minister of Defence finally be honest, acknowledge that our troops are in combat, and apologize for misleading Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, last week, General Jonathan Vance said the battle against ISIS has no end in sight. He went on to say Canadians should prepare for more Canadian Armed Forces casualties with the expansion of the mission on the ground in Iraq. Our troops are facing increased risk, and because of the Liberals, they do not have Canadian air support. Will the Minister of National Defence admit that prematurely pulling out our CF-18s was a mistake?

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General clearly pointed out that over the last three years pilots have been leaving in droves because of the minister's mismanagement. This proves that the Prime Minister and the Liberals are playing political games with our air force. He is willing to spend billions trying to upgrade jets that are falling apart instead of investing that money in a new fighter fleet, and the air force cannot even recruit enough pilots, because they do not want to fly these old Australian fighter jets. When will the Prime Minister be honest with Canadians and air force members and cancel this purchase of obsolete Australian jets?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is actually running away from his responsibilities here. It is a cop-out. I would like to remind everyone that the Prime Minister has not hesitated in giving special treatment to terrorists, such as offering classes for returning terrorists in poetry and podcasting, and of course he loves writing cheques for $10 million. Canadian ISIS terrorist Abu Huzaifa is walking freely on our streets, even though he publicly confessed to joining a terrorist group, sadistically enforcing sharia law, and slaughtering dissidents like they were animals.When will the Prime Minister finally imprison ISIS terrorists instead of allowing them to use Canada as a safe haven?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government threw a trusted and respected Manitoba chief justice under the bus for callous political reasons. The Liberals leaked Justice Joyal's confidential application to the Supreme Court, and now they are under investigation by the Privacy Commissioner. They trampled on his rights and slandered his good name, all so they could trash the reputation of the former justice minister.Will the current justice minister confirm if he or his office has been contacted by the Privacy Commissioner regarding this leak?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has been playing fast and loose with the truth. First, there was the Liberals' fabricated fighter jet capability gap, which is really a Liberal credibility gap. Then the minister put an unprecedented gag order on DND officials and stifled debate right here in Parliament. Now the defence minister says it was not him who cut danger pay from our troops fighting ISIS, but I have a document right here with his signature on it that proves that it was.Will the minister come clean and apologize for misleading Canadians, or is he going to double down on his alternate facts?

Mr. Speaker, as you see, there is no plan.When the Prime Minister announced that he would pull Canada's fighter jets out of the combat mission against the jihadist death cult ISIS, there were only two groups celebrating that Canada was going to back down: the Liberals and ISIS.Canada should be standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies in this fight. The brave men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces are always willing and able to do the heavy lifting. We must do our part in the fight against ISIS. Why does the Prime Minister want to cut and run from stopping ISIS?

Mr. Speaker, there is no decision that bears more gravity than putting Canadian troops in harm's way. It is a Canadian tradition that such a decision is debated and voted on in the House. It is not only Canadian tradition; it is what every parliamentary democracy does. The Dutch government tabled a 14-page report in its parliament detailing the duration and size of its value mission, its goals, risks, costs, and the rules of engagement.Will the Liberals submit their proposed UN mission to Parliament for a full debate and vote before committing our troops to the African mission?