April 14, 2004ImmediatePrime Minister Paul Martin made a number of important announcements related to the future of the Canadian Forces today in an address at CFB Gagetown. These include an ongoing Canadian Forces presence in Afghanistan after August 2004, the purchase of new joint support ships for the navy, and extended tax relief for moderate-risk overseas deployments. The Prime Minister also set out six principles which will guide the current international policy review in the area of defence. Specifically, the Prime Minister committed to the following: Canada will send an armoured reconnaissance squadron group - consisting of approximately 600 Canadian Forces members - to work as part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, when our current commitment ends in August. This group will be supported by approximately 200 Air Force personnel; the Government of Canada has approved a $2.1 billion project to acquire three new joint support ships for the navy, providing Canada with a significantly enhanced maritime capability, both at home and abroad; and the tax relief initiative contained in the recent federal budget for those serving in harm's way in Afghanistan will be extended to all high-risk and moderate-risk overseas deployments. This includes those serving in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Haiti. "Even as we proceed with the international policy review, we are also investing in the Canadian Forces to ensure that when our men and women in uniform are asked to stand in harm's way, they have the equipment they need to get the job done - safely and effectively," said the Prime Minister. In his address, the Prime Minister also laid out six guiding principles for national defence as the Government of Canada conducts the first comprehensive international policy review in a decade: defence policy, hand in hand with diplomacy and development, must be able to protect our interests and project our values, and this must be done in a strategic and focussed way, by concentrating on what we do best and on what the world needs most;the Canadian Forces must have the training and equipment to fulfill specific missions throughout the world, from operations to ensure security and stability - such as peacemaking and peacekeeping, to disaster assistance and emergency preparedness; training and equipment must be modern, relevant and useable; working with our allies, the Canadian Forces must be able to deploy quickly where they are most needed, whether in Canada or around the world; the Canadian Forces must be able to support and sustain their operations wherever they are for as long as they are required; and, the Canadian Forces must be able to operate parallel to and alongside our closest allies and partners across a spectrum of foreign missions. And, in the case of domestic emergencies, they must be able to work closely with other government departments and first responders. "A '3-D' approach - the integration of diplomacy, defence and development - will serve as the model for Canada's involvement in international crises in the future," said the Prime Minister. As we are doing in Afghanistan and Haiti, leveraging all these tools will allow Canada to most effectively contribute to international peace and security and respond to a complex and changing world." Funding for these initiatives was contained in the March 2004 Budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.- 30 -For more information:PMO Press Office: (613) 957-5555This document is also available at the following address: http://pm.gc.ca
