Canada’s defence minister Harjit Sajjan recently announced the federal government would engage in a defence review. Now that process is coming to Powell River.
North Island - Powell River MP Rachel Blaney will be hosting a town hall meeting from 1-3 pm on Tuesday, July 5, at the Royal Canadian Legion in Powell River to make a presentation and provide constituents the space and time to discuss the issues.
“It will be interesting to hear what people in the riding feel is important,” said Blaney.
Feedback collected from the meeting will be forwarded to Ottawa and included in the review. Blaney said she will be watching to see what the Trudeau government does with the public’s ideas.
Legion president Don Silvester said his organization’s members have been invited and the meeting is open to the public.
“We’re in favour of anything that will help the veterans,” said Silvester. “We don’t care too much about policy changes, as long as the veterans are treated properly and fairly. That’s what we’re there to support.”
Key questions in this review ask Canadians to comment on how they feel about the country’s security in general, what roles the armed forces should play domestically, how cooperation in security with the United States should unfold in the coming years and what role Canadian Forces should play in peace-keeping operations and conflict prevention.
Blaney added that she already hears from the riding on quite a few different defence-related issues, so the town halls will bring people together in a larger conversation.
“Some of the issues that have come up are international issues,” she said, “but a lot of them are around search and rescue capacity and looking at the government’s procurement policy for the F35 fighter jets.”
Blaney said she rushed to host the town hall sessions to meet the defence department’s deadline for feedback. She acknowledged that her riding is only one of a few in the country with an active military base.
“I’m just hoping people can come and engage,” said Blaney, “but if they can’t it does not stop them in anyway from contacting my office to provide feedback.”
For more information, readers can read the policy review at dgpaapp.forces.gc.ca/en/defence-policy-review/docs/defence-policy-review-consultation-paper.pdf.
Blaney can be contacted at 604.489.2286.
