Senator Duncan: Minister, you addressed two out of the three territories. I appreciate that National Defence’s financial and human resources are stretched to the limit with responding to natural disasters in Canada and conflicts in the world. Camp Boyle Barracks in Whitehorse can accommodate 400 in the summer months with modernization and more than 100 in the winter months. It serves military training needs and provides facilities for future evacuees. It serves all Canadians with modest capital investment.

Minister, would you commit to having a fulsome review and ensure that you and your department have a greater understanding and use of existing resources at Camp Boyle Barracks in Whitehorse in the Yukon?

In making commitments as to what we would do, I would need to learn more about it and I would need the opportunity to consult with the Canadian Armed Forces as to what their capabilities are. They are challenged on many fronts. Committing to deploying people into an area is something I would want to do in consultation with them, but I will happily commit to meet with you and discuss your concerns which would give me an opportunity to learn more about that important environment.

Hon. Pat Duncan: Earlier this year, we experienced a foreign object in Canadian airspace over the Yukon. This experience re‑emphasized our dependence on the Alaskans and our Canadian Rangers, who are active and present in every Yukon community. Canada’s commitment to Arctic security in the North is focused on increased funding to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, National Defence and human resources at Joint Task Force North in Yellowknife. The Yukon has three Canadian Armed Forces staff stationed at Camp Boyle Barracks in Whitehorse.

In February, I wrote to your predecessor and asked that an office be centrally located to provide your department with a greater profile and ability to respond in a fulsome manner when needed. I have yet to receive an answer. Minister, are you aware of the minimal presence of the department in the Yukon? What, if anything, is the department doing to increase their presence and capabilities in the Yukon?