Canada's NDP

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October 25th, 2012

Poor maintenance of military bases by the Conservatives affecting Canadian Forces

Auditor General finds the country’s military infrastructure is crumbling

After the release of the Auditor General’s report, the NDP is urging the government to take immediate action to fill the gap left by their inadequate maintenance of our military infrastructure.

Once again, the mismanagement of the Conservatives at 21 military bases across the country is having a critical impact on the operational capabilities of the Canadian Forces.

“The government has failed to ensure that bases get the money they need in time to complete basic maintenance and repairs”, said Official Opposition National Defence Critic Jack Harris. “The long term effects of these compounding maintenance failures could be quite costly.”

As the Auditor General pointed out, the Conservatives have no plan when it comes to property management of military bases, which has a significant impact on the delivery of important projects. This, according to the Auditor General, puts the Canadian Forces at an increased risk of operational failure and poses risks to the health and safety of personnel.

“This government likes to talk about its support for the Canadian Forces,” said NDP Deputy-Critic for National Defence Christine Moore. “But failing to meet the basic health and safety requirement of fire alarm inspections proves once again how superficial this support really is. And I’m not just talking about the bases; the infrastructures on the reserves are also in a very worrying state.”