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The response adds that the military is working on a new policy that would serve as an “interim update” until a more substantial directive can be ordered. The new directive would include delegating “the approval of visits,” but it does not specify when it will be completed or who will have the delegated authority.

Asked about the response, Kenney’s spokeswoman, Lauren Armstrong, said, “While we facilitate these requests, base commanders and their relevant superiors have final say.

“Currently, DND has no requests from opposition MPs to visit specific bases,” she added. “Once received, those would be evaluated individually, with the final decision being made by the commanders of the Army, Navy or Air Force.”

But Murray, who asked to visit nine bases earlier this year and never got a reply, said the response to her question “confirms that this government decided in 2010 to politicize the Canadian Armed Forces.”

“They decided to have political decision-makers decide who can and cannot get on the bases,” she said. “And we’ve seen them exploit the Canadian Forces for Conservative MPs’ benefit while I as the defence critic for the Liberals was blocked from doing my work of understanding the issues and where things are at.”

Three Conservative MPs joined Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantino at an armoury in Kitchener, Ont. on Tuesday, to announce a $1-million investment to fix the military facility’s roof and ventilation systems. The three MPs later tweeted photos of themselves posing with Fantino and military personnel at the event.