House of Commons Debates VOLUME 146 Ï NUMBER 138 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 41st PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Monday, June 11, 2012 (Part A) Speaker: The Honourable Andrew Scheer CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 9113 HOUSE OF COMMONS Monday, June 11, 2012 The House met at 11 a.m. Within Canada's search and rescue system, the Canadian Forces have a specific role to play. It operates the joint rescue coordination centres of Victoria, Trenton and Halifax. It monitors distress signals and, along with the Canadian Coast Guard, it coordinates the Prayers national response to air and sea incidents. Under search and rescue's mandate, our military also plans and prepares to respond to major air disasters taking place anywhere in Canada. PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Ï (1105) This means, following a plane crash and immediate search and [English] rescue response should an event be declared a major air disaster, that the Canadian Forces has the responsibility to deploy additional SEARCH AND RESCUE search and rescue technicians and survival equipment and logistics The House resumed from April 30 consideration of the motion. and medical personnel. Mr. Scott Armstrong (Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodo- boit Valley, CPC): Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to stand and speak in this debate. Being from Nova Scotia, I can appreciate the importance The unique specializations and capabilities of the Canadian Forces of having a solid and responsive search and rescue system in which it brings to the table allows it to assist when possible with Canada. Many Atlantic Canadians have traditionally made their missions within provincial or municipal responsibilities as well. living from the sea, whether fishing or depending on it for our These include medical evacuation or searches for lost persons. The imports and our exports. bottom line is that when and where it is needed, the Canadian Forces always do its best to respond whenever and wherever it can. While we have a love for the sea, we also have a high degree of respect for the dangers that the sea brings. The sea is responsible for countless incidents every year, and having a search and rescue Such was the case on April 15, 2011, when Canadian Forces system that can come to the aid of Canadians during these incidents crews from Greenwood and Gander flew more than 2,400 kilometres is crucial. to Baffin Island aboard a CC-130 Hercules and a CH-149 Cormorant So far in this debate we have heard about how in Canada search to help rescue two hikers, one of whom had fallen into a crevasse and rescue relies on all levels of government and volunteer and was in need of immediate medical attention. organization to work together in the best interests of Canadians. We have heard how the Canadian Forces are just one component of this system, albeit a crucially important one. We also have debated More recently, on March 27 when the Greenwood search and the relative merits of diverting more of our search and rescue rescue crews were called on two different incidents over the span of resources toward establishing a continuous 24/7 readiness posture a few hours. First, in support of the province of Nova Scotia, five for Canadian Forces search and rescue crews of 30 minutes from fishermen were hoisted out of the Great Pubnico Lake after their 14- notification to liftoff. foot boat capsized. Only a few hours later, three people were hoisted off a disabled sailing vessel off Cape Sable Island to a Cormorant in The government does not support this for the reasons we have 11 metre seas. This level of service is clearly outstanding and I already stated in the debate. In rising today, I will add to this debate believe it deserves the pride and support of all Canadians. by highlighting some of the outstanding expertise and capabilities that the Canadian Forces bring to search and rescue in Canada, capabilities that are deployed in more than a thousand search and The location of search and rescue bases in CFB Comox, rescue calls each and every year, capabilities that provide assistance Winnipeg, Trenton, Greenwood and Gander is based on decades to three or four people in distress each day in this vast and rugged of historical data that demonstrate that these areas are central to country, including a total of more than 200 people since the approximately 90% of search and rescue incidents. Canadian Forces beginning of this year alone. This so we might better appreciate the crews can respond with Hercules and Buffalo aircraft that provide impressive quality of the search and rescue system that we already them the reach, the endurance and the speed to conduct searches for have in Canada. hours over Canada's vast search and rescue area of responsibility. 9114 COMMONS DEBATES June 11, 2012 Private Members' Business We also have a dedicated fleet of Cormorant and Griffin The Canadian Forces has various domestic roles and is helicopters that have the versatility and stability required for critical responsible for multiple activities on a daily basis, such as hoisting operations. These air assets are by no means all the surveillance, search and rescue and readiness training, all of which Canadian Forces has to offer. When the Canadian Forces respond to must be considered when planning the distribution of its assets so a search and rescue incident, every one of its resources on every base that the right mix of capabilities is distributed to optimize its on this country is a potentially deployable asset. The Canadian availability for a variety of roles in Canada. Forces will send its most appropriate capability that can get there the fastest. Such was the case just a few weeks ago when the Minister of Of all of the search and rescue capabilities at the Canadian Forces' National Defence announced the deployment of a third Griffon disposal, the most valuable and most impressive is the search and helicopter to 5 Wing Goose Bay. This will increase the operational rescue technician, better known as the SAR tech. The SAR techs are flexibility of 444 Combat Support Squadron to support secondary trained to provide on-site, life-saving medical help and have an roles, such as search and rescue missions. impressive range of professional capabilities. They are experts in trauma life support, land and sea survival, Arctic rescue, parachut- In conclusion, I believe this debate has made it clear that this ing, diving, mountain climbing and rappelling. They do not hesitate government, along with the Department of National Defence and the to put their own lives in danger to save others. Canadian Forces, continually strives to provide the best service These men and women are professional heroes in Canada and on possible so that Canadians receive the help they need when and an average day these SAR techs, along with an aircrew, deploy as where they need it. many as three or four search and rescue missions. This means that, at this very moment, a crew is likely in the air on its way to provide While we cannot support this particular motion, I thank the hon. help to someone in need somewhere in Canada right now. member for bringing this discussion forward and for taking such an Perhaps, not surprisingly, their service sometimes comes at a active interest in the Canadian Forces and its primary mission, which price. Such was the case in October 2011 when two hunters were is protecting the safety of Canadians. I think all members of the stranded in a life raft in the Arctic waters off of Igloolik. Three House can agree on that. search and rescue technicians parachuted out of a CC-130 Hercules into the freezing waters of Canada's Arctic to help the two semi- Ï (1110) conscious men. [Translation] Sergeant Janick Gilbert, one of the SAR technicians, lost his life that day responding to that call. Sadly, this is not an isolated event. In the last 25 years, 34 SAR members and volunteers have given their Ms. Christine Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue, NDP): lives in their quest to save others. Mr. Speaker, it is my very great pleasure to speak to this motion. Many of my colleagues are aware that I am a former member of the The government fully recognizes the inherent risks of the search military, but I was also a medical assistant in the Canadian Forces. and rescue profession, just as it does all aspects of military service. That job has a direct connection with the subject before us. For this reason, we are committed to working with members of the Canadian Forces to provide them with whatever tools and support they need to strengthen their search and rescue capabilities so that The reason I wanted to say a few words about this motion is that, they can both succeed in their missions and return home to their in the three elections in which I have campaigned, many people families safely. came to talk to me because of my military background and asked me what purpose our armed forces serve. They told me they found it For example, in one of the most challenging areas of the country, hard to understand what purpose our armed forces actually serve, the Arctic, we have undertaken a number of initiatives to enhance the simply that they went on missions abroad and they did not reach and responsiveness of the Canadians Forces, such as the pre- understand more than that. They added that it seemed to them that positioning of northern survival caches at several key northern the armed forces should focus more on our needs.