Senate QP invites a minister, round three, with special guest star National Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan. There were a few technical issues with the earpiece at the centre desk on the floor, and the Liberals invited Sajjan to use a desk on their side instead. Senator Carignan agreed, saying that it was technically the government side of the chamber, and once Sajjan was settled, Carignan led off, asking if Canada was officially at war with ISIS as France and the United States were. Sajjan gave a personal definition of war as being what we remember with the World Wars, and that this conflict was not of the same scale, but that didn’t lessen the commitment to the fight.
Senator Day asked about the mandate to create a new defence policy for Canada, and whether he had started that open and transparent review process. Sajjan said that it was one of his three top priorities, and they had begun the planning framework, as it was an important step in order to make sure that it was being done right in order to get a credible policy in the end. Sajjan added that there would be a consultation process as part of that defence review. Day asked a supplemental, and asked about his awareness of the Senate security and defence committee’s work and whether that would be included in the review. Sajjan said that he would invite the Senate to play a role in the review.
Senator Lang wondered if any members of the Canadian Forces were part of the Yemen conflict or were involved in Libya. Sajjan responded that Canada has no footprint in Yemen, and as for Libya, they were at the early stages of any involvement in that country.
Senator Andreychuk asked about Russia’s foreign activities, and asked if we would be increasing our defence spending to hit NATO targets. Sajjan said that Canada was at the forefront of working with our NATO allies in terms of Eastern European reassurance operations, and that planned funding increases would continue. He added that funding would be going toward the right capabilities. Andreychuk reiterated the point of the two percent NATO target. Sajjan couldn’t guarantee that, but noted the sustained increases that they could plan procurements around.
Senator Mitchell asked about the myriad of procurement issues, for which Sajjan noted that procurement was one of those three main priorities, but at present, the system is not working. Sajjan noted his joint briefings with the minister of procurement that helps to reduce time, and that they are trying to figure out how to eliminate redundant steps, while still going forward with ongoing projects.
Senator Patternson was concerned about Russian Arctic military build-up, and wondered about an increase in the size of the Canadian Rangers. Sajjan reiterated a commitment to sovereignty which the Rangers maintain, and that he was going through an informal review of the recruiting system, and that would feed into the defence review. As a supplemental, Patterson asked about expanding the Rangers’ mandate to include marine operations to assist in offshore patrol and oil spill monitoring, to which Sajjan said it was a good idea that could be included in the defence review.
Senator Eaton asked about the helicopters being sent to Iraq with our trainers, and about the increased risk our troops face on the ground. Sajjan noted the nature of the coalition when it comes to air support, and that it was a matter of who was in the air at the time, not the nationality of those fighters. As for the Griffon helicopters, it was better to get capability on the ground beforehand than try to catch up if we find we need them later.
Senator Meredith asked about diversity in the recruits to reserves, to which Sajjan said that because recruitment had been on a down cycle, it takes time for it to ramp up again and to catch up in terms of diversity and regional messaging in order to get the message out there to all Canadians, but admitted they could do better. Senator Dyck asked a supplemental on the a Bold Eagle programme for recruiting Indigenous Canadians. Sajjan noted his own experience with recruits form that programme, and that they needed more engagement in enhancing that programme. Sajjan glowed in his recounting of the successes of the programme, and said that it was helping some First Nations communities reclaim their warrior spirit.
Senator Batters asked a question about the CF-18s being pulled out if Iraq (and unfortunately it sounded a little too much like a script that came out of Rona Ambrose’s office). Sajjan first praised our pilots, then moved into the explanation of how the enemy was learning from our actions, and noted that we had the intelligence capabilities that the coalition needs in order to ensure success on the ground.
Overall, it was another good exercise, and we had some good questions (mostly, though the Conservatives in particular need to break out of sounding like they’re carrying the water of their Commons counterparts). I was glad to see a better use of supplemental questions this time, including the Senate tradition of another Senator rising on a supplemental, and doing it effectively, much more than in the previous could of iterations. This is a good thing, and we’re getting back to some of the more traditional flow of Senate QP.
Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Senator Don Meredith for a tailored three three-piece suit with a white shirt and grey patterned tie, and to Senator Judith Seidman for a chic dark grey suit and skirt with matching top. Style citations go out to Senator Rose-May Poirier for a dull brown jacket over a gold and black patterned top, and to Senator Michel Rivard for a rumpled dark grey suit with a dark blue shirt and black tie.