Mr. Speaker, our highest priority is the safety of our crews and our aircraft.
The Chief of Air defence Staff has assured the Minister of National Defence that the Labradors can fly in complete safety. The fact that problems have been detected and immediate remedial action taken speaks to the stringency of our maintenance and inspection program. The Canadian forces have high airworthiness standards, not only for the Labradors, but for all the rest of its equipment.
Since the Labrador crash in early October, it is not hard to understand why Labrador flight and maintenance crews are taking additional precautions to ensure that these aircraft are safe. They are merely showing a great deal of caution.
As the hon. member is aware, an investigation is currently under way to determine the circumstances of this crash, and it would be ill-advised to speculate at this time about the cause. It is important to allow the investigation to proceed in order to find out what caused the crash and what steps should be taken to prevent a recurrence.
It must be kept in mind that the armed forces have other aircraft besides the Labrador helicopters, among them the Hercules and the Buffalo, whose primary purpose is search and rescue.
In January 1998, the government announced hat it would buy 15 Cormorant helicopters to replace the Labradors. The first of them will be in service by 2001.
The supply strategy for replacing the old Sea Kings is under study. Leasing is one of the options we are considering as a supply strategy. As the Minister of National Defence said, he hopes to make an announcement within the year.
We still intend to provide Canadian forces with the equipment they need to carry out their missions at home and abroad.