Deryck Trehearne made a statement and answered questions.

At 12:02 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:07 p.m., the sitting resumed in public.

Eva Cohen and LCol (Ret'd) David Redman made statements and answered questions.

The Chair presented the Third Report from the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, which read as follows:

Your subcommittee met on September 29, 2022, to consider the business of the committee and agreed to make the following recommendations:

1. That pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), that the Committee undertake a study on Arctic security that includes, but is not limited to: Russia’s threat to Canada’s Arctic; China’s threat to Canada’s Arctic; the Security of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago; Security of the Northwest Passage and NORAD Modernization; that the committee hold a minimum of 4 meetings; that the committee invite the Canadian Armed Forces Chief of the Defence Staff, Chief of Defence Intelligence, Commander of the Canadian Army, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Commander Canadian Joint Operations Command to appear before the committee; that the Committee include Northern and Indigenous witnesses; and that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House.

2. That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Committee undertake a study on Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare that includes, but is not limited to:

• The evolving sophistication of threats associated with cybersecurity and foreign actors’ capabilities to hack, disrupt, and dismantle means of communication, power grids, databases, and other critical infrastructure, that should include:

• The full capabilities of advanced countries to conduct cyberwarfare and what that might look like during conventional, unconventional and hybrid warfare; what Canada and its allies are doing to attract and retain talent in state cybersecurity to defend Canada against foreign cyber-threats; the threat of non-state actors to our cybersecurity; and the role of individuals and the private sector in cybersecurity;

That the committee hold a minimum of 4 meetings; the Committee invite representatives of the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence, and the Communications Security Establishment to appear at the first meeting; that the Committee report its findings and recommendations to the House; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request the Government table a comprehensive response to the report.

3. That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), as soon as possible following the tabling of the Government response to the Report of the Independent External Comprehensive Review into Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (Arbour Report), the Standing Committee on National Defence invite the former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour and the Minister of National Defence to testify for at least two hours.

4. That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Committee undertake a study on the military health system and provision of health services under the Canadian Forces Health Services Group, and on challenges associated with medical release and transition to civilian life with particular focus on mental health, operational stress injuries, and the availability of healthcare to CAF family members; that the committee shall hold a minimum of 4 meetings for the duration of the study; that the Committee report its findings and recommendations to the House; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request the Government table a comprehensive response to the report.

5. That the clerk of the committee be directed to prepare a travel budget to be submitted to SBLI for travel to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland during the travel period of January to March, 2023.

6. That the Minister of National Defence be invited to appear before the Committee to discuss NORAD Modernization, and that the meeting be held in-camera.

7. That the Committee continue to receive regular briefings on its on-going Threat Analysis study.

On motion of Bryan May, it was agreed, — That the Third Report of the subcommittee be concurred in.