Re: Harper reckless with tax dollars, Letters (April 25)
I am writing to respond to the recent letter to the editor from Liberal MP John McKay regarding Canada’s military equipment purchases.
The last thing any Liberal MP has any credibility on is military procurement. The Chretien-Martin governments, of which John McKay was a member, gave us used submarines that weren’t seaworthy, left us without a replacement for our maritime helicopters and had our Canadian Forces rely on Russian rental aircraft and crews to move our equipment and personnel. They even sent our troops into a war zone in the desert of Afghanistan in forest green fatigues. It is no wonder that former chief of defence staff Gen. Rick Hillier has referred to the time that the Liberals were in office as the “decade of darkness” for our military.
By abandoning the established procurement process that would have given our military the equipment they needed, John McKay’s Liberal Party put lives at risk and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
In spite of Liberal and NDP opposition, our Conservative government will continue standing up for our men and women in uniform. We will ensure that they have the equipment they need to do the job that we ask of them and that will give them the best chance of returning home safely to their families. We will also make sure that we follow the recommendations of the auditor general when we do so.
The men and women who put their lives in harm’s way deserve the support of Canadians, and their government. As long as there is a Conservative government in Ottawa, they can be assured they will have it.
Mark Strahl
Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon MP
