Transcript

Scrum after the Budget: General Rick Hillier

February 23, 2005

NOTE:  The following transcript is presented in the language(s) in which it occurred. There is no translation available.  We are providing the transcript for your information.

Reaction to the budget in relation to the military, missile defense, Defence Review and what the money will be spent on

Gen. Rick Hillier: Well before I take any questions let me just tell you something, ladies and gentlemen, and this is from the heart. Having seen what I’ve seen in life I don’t get excited by very much. I truly do not, but today I’m actually a little bit excited. I’m excited for the men and women in uniform because I believe today they’ve had an accord with the other 32 million Canadians who don’t wear uniforms struck with between them. And I think that accord is good for our country, it commits to resources to our men and women in uniform to do all the things that we ask them to do up front.

It commits to a longer-term investment in the Canadian Forces which will allow us to move to becoming the best Canadian Forces for the Canadians for the future and that means we’re going to be more relevant, more effective and seen by every single Canadian as valuable to them and a great society, great country in which we live here. We’ve got I think a very good day today and I think we’ve got a future that we can lay out that will be exactly what Canada needs here. I believe what’s been announced in the budget today really is allowing us to set our course for the future. I’d be delighted to take a few questions.

Question: Did Mr. Berton atone for past sins here? Is that what this is?

Gen. Rick Hillier: That’s not the question. The question for me is I simply have one judgment - are we going to be able to do what our country demands from us? And I believe the answer is yes because of what was struck here today as an accord between the men and women in uniform and the rest of our country.

Question: How much will you relations with the States be damaged, if at all, by a decision not to sign up on missile defense?

Gen. Rick Hillier: I would simpy say to you that our government will take its decision when it does and I’ll respond to it as a Canadian and as the Chief of Defence Staff just like every other citizen will. Our relationship with the United States encompasses a vast number of things here. We share that 5,000-kilometer border, we share history, tradition, culture and a whole variety of things. That part will not change. We’ll continue simply by (inaudible) of geography and all the other things to have a strong relationship with the United States of America.

Question: ...billion dollars in the budget for when the Defence Review comes out. What sort of things could we see that money spent on?

Gen. Rick Hillier: Well, we’ll get to the details on that and we’re just right now articulating clearly the policies, so when our government decides to make that draft its policy officially we’re actually ready to go, and in following that we’ll lay out the capabilities that are needed for that vision. But we’re moving ahead on many fronts right now. Much of course of what we’re going to need in the future we’ve got online already. So I prefer right now not to talk specific details, but in the very near future we will be.

Question: For you is this it? This gets you where you need to be in five years or is this a step, a first step?

Gen. Rick Hillier: I think it’s an enormously positive step here, not a first one because we’ve been moving towards this for a while here. But I think it sets the course to allow us to achieve what Canadians want us to be. I think it’s a phenomenal step.

Question: (inaudible) billion dollars in new money.

Gen. Rick Hillier: And?

Question: And I’m asking you if...

Gen. Rick Hillier: What I would say to you is from what I have seen of the figures, what we have is new money and it’s in the figures that are articulated and I believe that equates to about $12.8 billion over the five years. And I would not tell you that I believe it to be new money if I didn’t believe that, I assure you. So I believe what we get is $12.8 billion over the five years and that is our great step towards shaping the Canadian Forces for the future here and that is new money.

Question: That’s it. Thank you very much.

Gen. Rick Hillier: Okay. Thank you very much.

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