MP Gallant Asks “Do you have the Right Stuff?”

April 18, 2008

Ottawa, Ontario - Cheryl Gallant, MP (Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke) asks, “Do you have the right stuff to be a member of the Canadian Armed Forces?”

“It is an exciting time to be a member of Canada’s Armed Forces. After years of neglect, our soldiers are being provided with the best equipment. CFB Petawawa, after years of cutbacks, is witnessing tremendous growth. In spite of a robust economy and a general shortage of workers in many industries, the Canadian Forces have been very successful in their recruitment efforts,” remarked Cheryl Gallant, MP.

Cheryl encourages anyone who is the least bit curious to look at what a career in Canada’s Military may have to offer for them.

Hansard, April 17, 2008.

Cheryl Gallant, MP (Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, Conservative) Mr. Speaker, Chief of the Defence Staff Rick Hillier once called the time the Liberals were in power the “decade of darkness”. That decade is over. Our government is firmly committed to rebuilding the Canadian Forces and supplying our military with the resources it needs in order to protect our land and to offer military assistance around the world.

Our valuable resources are our women and men who dedicate their lives to making a difference and serving their country. Our government is committed to increasing the number of recruits in the forces.

Could the Minister of National Defence tell us what is being done to encourage Canadians from all walks of life to join the military?

Hon. Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence: Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke for her question and for her support for the Canadian Forces. In fact, I was honoured this week to unveil the latest ad with respect to the Canadian Forces, the recruitment campaign called “Fight Fear”. This is in addition to two previous, very successful, ad campaigns. These ads showcase our work in Afghanistan, the Arctic, search and rescue, and interoperability with the RCMP.

We are proud of the work being carried out by the men and women of the armed forces. We are proud of their professionalism, their great courage, and in fact, as the ad says, they are going to continue to fight chaos, terrorism, whatever and whenever called to do so.