Ottawa, ON – James Bezan, Conservative Shadow Minister for National Defence; Jeff Kibble, Conservative Shadow Minister for Defence Procurement; and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Québec Lieutenant, released the following statement demanding action to ensure our military is prepared for the threats Canada faces:
“For years, Liberal mismanagement caused our Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to fall into disrepair, leaving our sailors, soldiers and aviators unprepared for the threats they face. Today’s report from the Auditor General (AG) confirms a serious lack of action and leadership from this Liberal government, at a time when our troops need it most.
“Ongoing wars like that in Ukraine reveal the astounding scale at which ammunition can be consumed in modern, high-intensity conflicts. Back in May of 2022, General Wayne Eyre, then Chief of the Defence Staff, said that Canada’s defence industry needed to ‘go onto a wartime footing’. Four years later, we are no closer to where we need to be.
“The AG’s report reveals that the Department of National Defence (DND) could not meet NATO and NORAD readiness targets, and lacked even the ammunition needed for its regular-use supply, with major gaps between existing inventory and the CAF’s real-world needs.
“When it comes to the ammunition our forces actually have, the situation is little better. Citing widespread inefficiencies, the AG found that much of the DND’s existing data is unreliable, with an average error rate of 13 per cent, and over 30 per cent of DND facilities did not conduct the required annual ammunition count.
“And where the government has actually managed to sign a contract, the delivery of the product takes an average of 19 months.
“This cannot be allowed to continue. The Liberals must act immediately to rectify the unacceptable state of Canada’s ammunition stockpiles: both inventory and accounting.
“Conservatives are calling for the Auditor General to appear before the Standing Committee on National Defence so that Parliament can understand the full extent of the problem and how it must be solved.
“This is not an insurmountable problem. It is a question of political will. Conservatives will continue to fight tirelessly for the brave men and women of the CAF, and ensure they have the tools required to stand on guard at home and abroad.”