SoVote

Alex Ruff

Member of Parliament
Member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians
Conservative

Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound
Ontario
Voting Attendance: 67%
Expenses Last Quarter: $91,173.06

Government Page

Context: House Hansard - 256 - Nov/27/23

Nov/27/23 7:56:29 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, what really scares me about the Arctic is not the territorial threat. It is not the threat from Russia or China coming across the Arctic Circle or coming into our north. It is actually about their investments and takeover of our natural resources or critical minerals. What more does this member think needs to be done, as outlined I believe in recommendation 18 of the report, to actually put a stop to this malign foreign takeover of critical capabilities and natural resources in the Arctic?

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Context: House Hansard - 256 - Nov/27/23

Mr. Alex Ruff (Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, CPC)

Nov/27/23 7:54:50 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, recommendation 15 talks about the need to increase primary reserve capability in all three territories in order to upkeep our Arctic sovereignty and defence. In 2013, there was the master implementation directive to actually get a number of reserve units up from an infrastructure and equipment standpoint. When I talk to former colleagues of mine in the reserves, they tell me that they are are sitting with snowmobiles that do not have the infrastructure to store them. They are rotting outside, and this is a decade later. Does the member have any idea why the government has failed to actually provide the necessary support and resources to our primary reserves specifically when it comes to the Arctic?

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Context: House Hansard - 256 - Nov/27/23

Mr. Alex Ruff (Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, CPC)

Nov/27/23 7:41:54 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague is a huge advocate for and defender of our military personnel and Ukraine. He mentioned drones; in particular, he mentioned the delay by the government of our medium-altitude drones. They have been delayed, it could argue, for a good reason, if it is to ensure that the development for Arctic capability is there. I am a bit surprised, considering that this is something the government promised within their defence policy years ago. Why would the government think it would develop drone capability in this country that would not be Arctic capable? Could the member just expand on why the government missed this obvious shortfall?

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Context: House Hansard - 256 - Nov/27/23

Mr. Alex Ruff (Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, CPC)

Nov/27/23 7:23:22 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I will stay relevant to the topic at hand tonight. The member said he did not feel that the Arctic sovereignty was that important. I think he should have listened to the NDP member who spoke just before him. She actually spoke on November 3 and got very upset at the complaints that were coming from the House. I am sure she will have an opportunity to speak. I remember the member very well when he was on the national defence committee, and he was successfully filibustering the committee while it was looking into, during the previous Parliament, the sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces at the highest levels and the censorship of the previous minister of national defence. I want to get to the point of this motion, which is Arctic sovereignty. He represents, or supposedly represents, a riding and its Canadian Armed Forces members. I want to ask specifically about the capabilities of signals. Recommendation 24 talks about “the expansion of Very High Frequency radio capabilities and other communications in the Arctic that support search and rescue efforts.” Could the member elaborate on what needs to be done? How are the Canadian Armed Forces members he represents in Kingston crucial in making this happen and continuing our Arctic sovereignty?

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Context: House Hansard - 256 - Nov/27/23

Mr. Alex Ruff

Nov/27/23 7:10:17 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I am wondering about the relevance of the member's speech. The report is about Arctic sovereignty, and he is talking about procedural processes in the House of Commons.

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Context: House Hansard - 256 - Nov/27/23

Mr. Alex Ruff (Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, CPC)

Nov/27/23 6:46:56 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, obviously, this is a very important topic that we are debating tonight. The member made a number of key observations. I thank her for her commitment on the committee. Recommendation 5, in particular, talks about the risks from malign foreign actors, specifically in the Arctic. It can address the challenges as the Arctic opens up more. That scares me more than almost anything. I am less worried about Russian intrusions into the Arctic. I am more worried about Russian businesses, Chinese businesses and other foreign state actors challenging our natural resources, our critical minerals and, in particular, how it even impacts our indigenous population, our Inuit in the north. Could the member expand a bit more on what the committee found out in terms of what actions need to be taken by the government to address this critical and important need?

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Context: House Hansard - 246 - Nov/3/23

Mr. Alex Ruff (Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, CPC)

Nov/3/23 12:40:39 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague for bringing the motion forward. I would argue that other than the affordability crisis that we are dealing with in this country right now, the government's priority always has to be the defence and security of its citizens. We obviously have a weakness when it comes to what we need to do to improve things in the Arctic. I am looking forward to reading the whole report in great detail, considering my own past experience, in particular with recommendation 3 around ballistic missile defence. I would like to ask my colleague to expand, because it is more than just ballistic missile defence; we are dealing with hypersonic missiles and other threats. We are seeing this coming out of the Ukraine war as Ukraine fights against Russia's illegal invasion. We are seeing this with North Korea as well, as Russia, China and other nations are putting increased technology into North Korea as it develops these capabilities. It is absolutely essential that Canada invests appropriately and reconsiders our policy around how we are going to have an all around air defence policy. I would like my hon. colleague to please expand on that.

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SoVote

Member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

Alex Ruff