House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 36% of the vote.
Search and Rescue November 6th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Coast Guard is part of the rescue package that is provided at Vancouver International Airport. The primary responsibility is the airport's itself.
Along with every other agency in the area, we have formed part of the response and relief program, with a brand new $25 million hovercraft. A backup hovercraft that has been ordered is being purchased and we are making plans in our capital plans to replace that one with a new one in the years to come.
Fisheries and Oceans November 6th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, as a correction I would like to say that I am the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, not the political minister. We are all politicians, some cheaper than others but all honourable I am sure.
As for the rules established by Treasury Board, I do not have the details and I will refer this to the President of the Treasury Board, but I understand that they were established under the Conservative regime some time ago.
Fisheries and Oceans November 6th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. It is relevant to the President of the Treasury Board. I will give her the information and she will respond when she next returns to the House.
Fisheries and Oceans November 5th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.
Groundfish stocks are raising concerns in the gulf, in the north, in the southeast and in Newfoundland. The indications that we have had so far are not promising. We are waiting for the latest data. The Fisheries Resource Conservation Council will make recommendations on stock levels for next year.
In the meantime, we do intend to begin discussions with Quebec and the other provinces in the near future.
Coast Guard October 31st, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I would like to join with the member for Musquodoboit Valley--Eastern Shore and say that the Minister of National Defence serves as an example to us all.
I agree with the member that the men and women of the Canadian Coast Guard do a great job. The Government of Canada takes the recapitalization of the coast guard very seriously. In the year 2000 we committed $115 million for the replacement of over 40, 47 foot life boats. Half of them have been delivered and the other half under are construction.
At cabinet we discussed the future capitalization requirements of the coast guard, and I discuss this with the Minister of Finance, not in press conferences.
Halifax Harbour October 25th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the regional-municipal council for its action in improving water quality conditions in Halifax harbour. It has made the decision not to phase in the project but to advance immediately. We are contributing $30 million toward that project in partnership with the province, matching the province. I have indicated to the mayor, on behalf of the Minister of Industry, that if the council should wish to phase in the program over a number of years, like many other programs are done, then we may be able to assist in further phases and we will consider doing so in the future.
Fisheries October 22nd, 2002
Mr. Speaker, this would be the first time we have had to ask for an inquiry because of too many fish.
Sockeye salmon is a difficult species to manage because it intermingles with a bunch of other species. There was a high mortality rate in the last few years in river reef-spawning. I am very happy that did not happen this year. We are doing a post-season analysis to see if we can improve our management practices. However I cannot take responsibility for this. The Minister of the Environment is to blame. It was under his direction as the former minister of fisheries that he made the difficult decisions in 1998 which resulted in too many fish today.
Fisheries October 11th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, as well as the Government of Canada, takes government science very seriously. It was highlighted in the Speech from the Throne.
We work on research on the fisheries very closely with industry and non-governmental organizations. We are also doing a planned recapitalization for the coast guard over the years to make sure that we have all the equipment necessary to do all the science for our natural resources.
Fisheries October 10th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his interest in this matter and all the good research he has been doing.
Aquaculture holds a lot of potential for economic growth on all the shores of Canada. We have had a lot of very good work done by governments, federal and provincial, along with industry, to make sure we have safe aquaculture practices that are sustainable.
I am very pleased with the work that has been done by the Senate Committee on Fisheries and the House Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. They have worked on this for over three years, helping and participating in formulating our policies. I encourage them to keep up this work, specifically, looking into the regulations.
Fisheries and Oceans October 9th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Richmond for his constructive interest in this matter.
The government is committed to maintaining search and rescue coverage in the Vancouver area using a combination of commercial vessels and hovercraft.
I am pleased to report to the House that the Coast Guard has initiated the procurement of a used hovercraft in the interim to replace the existing back-up vessel. We are also initiating a project to procure a new hovercraft through the department's capital planning process.
The government takes maritime safety very seriously. We remain committed to providing world class service to the people of British Columbia and the rest of Canada.