Ottawa, ON – James Bezan, Conservative Shadow Minister for National Defence, and Kelly Block, Conservative Shadow Minister for Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, issued the following statement on the Liberals’ new Defence Investment Agency:
“Creating new, unnecessary bureaucracy to do an existing task does nothing for our troops – but risks more red tape delays for desperately-needed equipment projects.
“Our sailors, soldiers and aviators need the best kit available to defend Canada and our allies: now – not later. They need quicker processes, less red tape and clearer accountability for procuring the equipment the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) needs to defend Canada.
“They do not need another agency created to give a job to one of Mark Carney’s banker buddies. The biography for Mr. Guzman put out by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) doesn’t even mention the words ‘defence’ or ‘procurement.’
“The Liberals have a repeated history of political interference in defence procurement and can’t be trusted.
“A prime example is the ongoing F-35 debacle.The Secretary of State for Defence Procurement told the Hill Times that ‘we’ve got time to make the right decision’ and ‘the most important thing is making the right choice, not meeting an arbitrary timeline.’ Even today, he told journalists, ‘I don’t personally feel any pressure’ to make a decision and threw the PMO under the bus.
“Our fighter pilots have been waiting for answers on these jets for over a decade. The so-called arbitrary deadline was set by the Liberal Defence Minister.
“Defence Minister David McGuinty said they’d follow the military’s lead, and the Chief of Defence Staff said to buy more F-35s. It’s time to hold the Liberals to their own promises.
“Conservatives will always support the brave women and men in the CAF. When will the Liberals? Our aviators – and all Canadians – are waiting.”