MP Gallant Confirms Conservative Government Decision to Locate New Chinook Helicopters at CFB Petawawa

December 14, 2009

PETAWAWA, ONTARIO… Cheryl Gallant, Member of Parliament for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, is pleased to confirm that Canada’s new fleet of 15 F-model Chinook helicopters will be based at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.

“As the Member of Parliament for CFB Petawawa, I know how important it is to provide our women and men in uniform with the best equipment to do the job,” said MP Gallant. “As a member of the Defence Committee and a Member of the Government, I never missed an opportunity to promote Petawawa as the best location for the new helicopters.”

“The main customer of the new Chinook Helicopters is the Army, and as was noted by the Chief of Air Staff Lieut-Gen. Andre Deschamps when I asked him the question several weeks ago in Defence committee about where would be the best location for the new Chinooks, the General remarked that ‘it's important to co-locate to be close to the army so they can get that day-to-day interaction with their primary customer’”.

After the decade of darkness that characterized the old administration’s approach to starving our military of proper equipment, the new Chinooks will be able to meet the challenges of the 21st century. In addition to supporting our land forces, the new CH-147F Chinooks will be available for domestic emergencies, such as, search and rescue was well as responding to fire, floods, and earthquakes. 

“It is exciting to note that as a result of the Chinooks coming to Petawawa, our Base will continue to grow with about 440 new positions coming with them. The added jobs are good for the local economy in the upper Ottawa valley”, observed MP Gallant. “From Laurentian Hills to the north, all the way south, including Deep River, the Town of Petawawa, City of Pembroke, Laurentian Valley and Whitewater Region, should benefit economically from this announcement.

“The value of the Chinook Helicopter is proving itself every day to the men and women who are currently serving their Country in Afghanistan. There are currently six D-model versions of the Chinook rapidly deploying troops and equipment to locations more dangerous or impossible to reach by road. Landmines have been responsible for many of the injuries and casualties our troops have suffered. The less our troops have to travel by road, the safer,” said MP Gallant.

The F-model Chinook Helicopters are state-of-the-art, with a full suite of leading edge avionics, sensors, and self defence equipment, and have twice the operating range of the older models of this helicopter. They are a welcome addition to CFB Petawawa and Canada’s Armed Forces.