House of Commons Livebog: Defence Minister Peter MacKay at Committee of the Whole
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Now Fantino will cite a ten year old quote from Art Eggleton. He's a Liberal, you know. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:29:34 AM -
Rae still wants to know if there is a competition for the replacement of the F-18s, or not? #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:30:24 AM
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Fantino notes that he awaits the Secretariat's decision. I can't help but think of the horse whenever I type that. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:31:25 AM
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AGAIN, Rae wonders whether this process involves reviewing whether to buy the F-35 or not. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:31:47 AM
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In response, Fantino rereads the seven step solution. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:32:07 AM
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Fantino insists that he's following the facts towards a decision based on facts, not speculation. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:34:12 AM
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Is the F-35 still the only option, or is this a real competition? That's what Rae wants to know. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:34:59 AM
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You've all heard the simple answer, so I won't repeat it. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:35:10 AM
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Gales of laughter greet Fantino's barnacle-like grip on his script. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:36:02 AM
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Rae notes that the first step in the 12 step program is to admit that you have a problem. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:36:26 AM
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The AG, he notes, says the government has a problem: it did things out of sequence. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:36:43 AM
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As such, will the government accept that it has a problem, and requires a review that goes back to the original question? #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:37:12 AM
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Fantino suggests Rae go back in time and ask the party that he now belongs to, that was in power at the time. He has his 7 steps! #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:38:11 AM
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And that's all for Bob Rae. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:38:21 AM
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Honestly, giving the government every second round is a ludicrous practice. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:38:43 AM
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It would be different if Conservative MPs weren't just reading scripts, but they are. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:38:59 AM
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BTW, you all remember who the other minister on this year's #CotW list is, right? Peter Kent!by kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:42:25 AM
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That Conservative backbencher speech was about training. Now, Ted Opitz is asking about third generation light armoured vehicles! #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:46:54 AM
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Fantino thanks Optiz for his service, and obliges by explaining the planned upgrades to those light armored vehicles. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:48:21 AM
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Opitz notes that working with allies on projects like the joint strike fighter saves money, just like the Mercury project. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:50:06 AM
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Jack Harris just popped up to remind the chair that Opitz is supposed to ask questions through the chair, not to the minister directly #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:53:33 AM
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Out of curiosity, does The Secretariat have a new name yet? #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:54:32 AM
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And now, back to Jack Harris! Yes, he gets to ask more questions. Won't that be fun? #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:55:00 AM
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Harris brings up the government's fondness for the "Decade of Darkness," and suggests "Interval of Incompetence" for this era. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:55:36 AM
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He points to various procurement debacles past -- the Chinooks, the fixed wing SARS, supply ships.... #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:56:15 AM
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I bet the answer is going to involve the MAGICAL PERFECT AWESOME SHIPBUILDING PROCUREMENT PROCESS WHOOO #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:56:39 AM
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In any case, Harris notes that Defence doesn't seem to ever get it right, and won't follow the rules on procurement. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:57:04 AM
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Oh, Fantino. He finds the premise fraught with misinformation and miscommunications, and 'gives charity' for it. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:57:46 AM
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Fantino then reads a list of projects that weren't complete clusterfudges. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:58:01 AM
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These are really vague-sounding projects. "Equipment Replacement Project". That sort of thing. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:58:38 AM
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But if the NDP was in charge, none of these vague sounding projects would have happened! #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:58:52 AM
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Harris notes that the Globemaster and the Hercules were easier to buy, since those were already in production. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:59:25 AM
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"Buying things off the shelf is easy," Harris points out - it's all the other stuff that is hard. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 2:59:40 AM
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Shouldn't that be "Royal"? @KarlBelanger: The national fighter procurement secretariat #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 3:00:10 AM
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Fantino has a unique turn of phrase. @stoneape314: @kady but I thought giving charity was tantamount to money laundering these days #cotwby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 3:00:26 AM
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SOLD. @EDC_Mag: @KarlBelanger @kady The League of Incredibly Fast Airborne Vessels of Destruction Selection Secretariat. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 3:00:38 AM
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Anyway, Harris wonders what percentage of the time a Cormorant helicopter is available for search and rescue. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 3:00:57 AM
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MacKay notes that the serviceability of that aircraft has been increased "dramatically" by buying spares. For upgrades! #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 3:01:20 AM
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MacKay reminds Harris that we did lose one Cormorant to a crash on the East Coast. #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 3:05:50 AM
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He doesn't think it's possible to build entirely new helicopters out of the spare parts that we acquired. But Cyclones soon! #CotWby kady o'malley via twitter 5/10/2012 3:06:20 AM