November 1, 2004 OTTAWA -- Bill Graham, Minister of National Defence, is pleased to announce that Dr. Keith Martin, who was appointed as his Parliamentary Secretary on July 20, 2004, will undertake responsibility for issues related to the Reserve Force. Dr. Martin will enhance and expand the Department's liaison activity with the Reserve Force community, and he will work in close co-operation with the Minister of National Defence on Reserve Force issues. "I am delighted that Dr. Martin will take special responsibility for the Reserve Force, in addition to his many other duties as Parliamentary Secretary," said Minister Graham. "I look forward to working with him on this important issue." The Department of National Defence currently has about 23,000 Primary Reservists. In addition, the Reserve Force also includes about 6,700 officers of the Cadet Instructor Cadre, 4,400 members of the Canadian Rangers and 50,000 personnel on the Supplementary Reserve List. In the Speech from the Throne the Government of Canada has committed to increasing the size of the Canadian Forces by 5,000 Regular Force and 3,000 Primary Reserve personnel. -30- Information: (613) 996-2353/54, After Hours: (613) 792-2973, World Wide Web: http://www.forces.gc.ca
