.... Supporting Our Armed Forces
Government has no higher obligation than the protection of national sovereignty and the security of citizens. And Canadians know that you cannot earn respect by projecting weakness. Serious countries have serious capabilities.
Look at the paintings that adorn this room—scenes of the Great War. They remind us of this, and of the profound sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform. These heroes are the pride of our country and the backbone of our history.
After a decade of darkness, our Government has been living up to our promise to give the Canadian military the tools it needs to get the job done. Soldier for soldier, sailor for sailor, airman for airman, the Canadian Armed Forces are once again the best in the world.
No longer does Canada have to hitch a ride with our allies. Our serving men and women can now carry out their vital missions. The Royal Canadian Air Force is flying new heavy-lift C-17 and C-130J transport aircraft, and operating Chinook helicopters. New tanks, artillery and other equipment have proven their worth in combat. Canadian workers at Canadian shipyards will build new ships for the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard. And our Government will complete our plan to replace Canada’s fleet of fighter jets.
Building on these successes, our Government will renew our Canada First Defence Strategy. Now and in the future, Canada’s Armed Forces will defend Canada and protect our borders; maintain sovereignty over our Northern lands and waters; fight alongside our allies to defend our interests; and respond to emergencies within Canada and around the world.
To be effective, our military must have more teeth and less tail. Our Government will:
•Put front-line capability before back-office bureaucracy;
•Respond to emerging threats to our sovereignty and economy posed by terrorism and cyber-attacks, while ensuring Canadians’ fundamental privacy rights are protected;
•Incorporate a strong role for our military reserves, who are an essential link between the Armed Forces and Canadian communities; and
•Assist employers of reservists who are required to deploy on missions vital to the security of all Canadians.
As our Government takes these steps, it will always keep faith with those who have defended Canada with pride. Our veterans have stood up for us; we will stand by them. Our Government has made unprecedented investments to support our veterans.
Our Government has:
•Increased support through its enhanced Veterans Charter;
•Ensured dignified funerals for our injured veterans;
•Reduced red tape so veterans can access the benefits they need; and
•Invested almost five billion additional dollars in benefits and programs.
Our Government has worked to help returning veterans re-establish themselves. We will:
•Reach out to homeless veterans and help give them the support they need; and
•Build on our successful “Helmets to Hardhats” program to place veterans in good jobs.
Canada’s Northern Sovereignty
We are a northern country. We are a northern people. Canada’s greatest dreams are to be found in our highest latitudes. They are the dreams of a North confident and prosperous, the True North, strong and free.
Our Government is securing our Northern sovereignty; promoting prosperity for Northerners; protecting our Arctic environmental heritage; and giving the people of the North a greater say in their own affairs.
Our Government has made great strides by:
•Opening the Canadian Armed Forces Arctic Training Centre;
•Expanding the Canadian Rangers, our eyes and ears in the North; •Creating the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency;•Mapping Canada’s Arctic seabed to assert our sovereignty; •Investing in health care, education, and affordable housing for Northerners; and
•Concluding a historic Devolution Agreement with the Northwest Territories and negotiating one with Nunavut. But the eyes of the world increasingly look enviously to our North. Our Government will not rest.
•Our Government will fulfill Prime Minister Diefenbaker’s historic vision by completing the Dempster Highway to the Arctic Ocean, linking Canada from sea to sea to sea.
•Our Government has established the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. This world-class science and technology research facility will open in time for the 150th anniversary of Confederation.
•With the arrival of our Government’s new Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships, Canada’s first deep water Arctic port at Nanisivik will be operational.
•Our Government recognizes that the future prosperity of the North requires responsible development of its abundant natural resources. Northerners must benefit from this treasure. Our Government will work alongside Inuit, First Nations, territorial governments and industry to ensure that Northerners are well trained to take their full place in this new economy.
•Our Government will also continue to defend the seal hunt, an important source of food and income for coastal and Inuit communities.
•The story of the North is the story of Canada. In order to tell that story for Canada’s 150th year, our Government will continue efforts to solve one of the most enduring mysteries of our past. We will work with renewed determination and an expanded team of partners to discover the fate of Sir John Franklin’s lost Arctic expedition ....
