Last week, Defence Minister Jason Kenney issued a bombastic statement about his government’s record on defence since taking office, and his willingness to present that record for judgment by Canadians in the next election. So let us examine that record.

We start with funding for the military. The minister knows his government made significant promises about buying new equipment, but has consistently failed to deliver. Since 2012, they axed nearly $5 billion from the defence budget, and let $10 billion of approved funding go unspent since 2007. This includes nearly $7 billion in DND's capital budget – funds allocated for new equipment like search-and-rescue aircraft, trucks and ships.

These cuts have driven defence spending below 1% of GDP, the lowest share of GDP since the 1930s, and well below our expected spending commitment as a NATO member. The funding escalator announced in the budget, which Mr. Kenney trumpets, in fact does not kick in until 2017. And under the government’s funding plan, the budget will continue to fall to 0.89% of GDP by 2027.

The results are evident. Documents recently tabled in Parliament reveal that this government has achieved almost none of the procurement goals contained in its 2008 Canada First Defence Strategy. In fact DND declared the strategy “unaffordable” years ago and abandoned it. The minister has thus far been unable to say when we can expect a new strategy.

These cuts have meant that needed equipment is not making its way into the ranks, and our military is left trying to make do with outdated tools. For example, the bungled procurement of new supply ships forced navy technicians to scrounge on eBay for parts to keep our 45-year-old supply vessels operating. These ships were recently deemed “dangerous and unsafe” and retired from service, leaving Canada without supply ships for the next decade.

Their failure to deliver on promised – and desperately needed – equipment is the tip of the iceberg. It is their treatment of those who wear the uniform that reveals how they really feel. Remember, this is the government that praised reservists, but decreased the budget dedicated to reservist pay, and reduced their training budget to pay for things like income splitting – a $2,000 tax break for the wealthiest few. Furthermore, our reserve units are now under strength due in part to the closure of recruiting centres.

This is the same government that eliminated danger pay for our soldiers in Afghanistan, depriving military of pay for serving in incredibly dangerous places, risking life and limb in service to their country. It was only when this cut went public that the prime minister felt sufficiently embarrassed to reverse his decision.

When a soldier died by suicide, and her parents decided they wouldn't participate in the board of inquiry into her death, Mr. Harper's government not only sent them a legal summons to force them to appear, it also sent them the bill for the cost of that summons.

This is a government, and a minister, that violated security protocols by exposing the identities of CAF members serving in Iraq and Kuwait. Our troops and their families were placed at risk to produce a blatantly partisan self-promotion video for the prime minister’s personal website.

I would respectfully say that this government’s record on defence is clear, and it is not one to make Canadians proud.

- Joyce Murray is the MP for Vancouver Quadra and Liberal Critic for National Defence