Fisheries Committee on Oct. 3rd, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Please answer very quickly, Mr. Da Pont.

[George Da Pont]

Yes. The mandate with regard to security and the elements you spoke of, belongs to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canada Border Services Agency. We are working with these two agencies and I agree with the way we are helping them in their work. We will surely increase on commitment but in order to do so, our main mandate has to be changed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Mr. Stoffer, you have five minutes.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Again, congratulations on your appointment, sir. My condolences to you on the loss of your friend, Jack Stagg, with whom I know you were good friends.

You mentioned a couple of things in your preamble, and I'd like to go over them with you. You talked about ensuring that the procurement processes for the new vessels are moving ahead as quickly as possible. Are you encouraging the government to require that the procurement process have vessels built in Canada?

[George Da Pont]

Mr. Chairman, the shipbuilding policy of government is that the vessels be built in Canada. They will all be built in Canada.

The one aspect I was focusing on was that since we haven't had a major number of new vessels in so long we need to actually build internal capacity to manage that procurement process effectively, which we're in the process of doing.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Very good.

Also, you had mentioned the key issue of addressing the long-term marine service fees. You had started up that committee again. My report should be coming to me in a couple of moments, but I have a list, and of all the people who are associated in that consultative group, there is nobody from the north of 60 as part of that group.

As you know, the far north, especially Nunavut, has been arguing against these fees for quite some time. Mr. Chairman, you may or may not know that when a ship comes from say Amsterdam and goes to the north, there are no fees charged for that, but when a ship comes from Montreal and goes north, there are fees charged for that. The people in the north have been asking for quite some time to have these fees eliminated so they can encourage economic development in the far north.

I couldn't help but notice there's nobody from the north as part of this panel. Can you explain why that is?

[George Da Pont]

Mr. Chairman, that's a very good observation. In fact, about a month ago we released to northern shippers and the territorial governments the results of a study we did on Arctic fees. The minister has indicated to them that he is open to getting feedback on the results of our study, and he would like their issues addressed as part of the larger process that we put in place. I'm meeting the representatives of the shipping industry, the National Marine Advisory Board, a little later this week, and that exactly will be one of the agenda items: how to adjust the membership and process to ensure northerners are adequately represented.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Thank you, Mr. Da Pont.

Mr. Stoffer, I'm coming back to you in a second.

Is it possible to get that study for the committee, Mr. Da Pont?

[George Da Pont]

Absolutely. We can send it.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

I have several other questions, but I'll get back to them in the second round.

We've been hearing through the media that the U.S. Coast Guard is exercising some sort of might on the Great Lakes in terms of live-fire ammunition practices and all of that. Can you please advise me on what your role or the coast guard's role is in all of that in regard to the treaty that was signed many years ago? What effect does that have on the environment of the lakes? And what role does the Canadian Coast Guard play in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard on that issue?

[George Da Pont]

Mr. Chairman, within government the overall responsibility for the file rests with the Department of Foreign Affairs, for obvious reasons.

The coast guard role is more limited. If those exercises go ahead, and even though they are taking place in U.S. waters, our role would be to ensure safety by providing appropriate notices of shipping to commercial and recreational boaters, obviously in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

There is at least time for one more question.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Thank you, sir.

Mr. Da Pont, you rightly pointed out that you're going to have a huge manpower issue in a few years. I can't help but notice that the current government does a lot of advertising quite strongly for our military, and rightly so. Are you advising the government in any way that they should take the same approach when it comes to recruitment for our coast guard? I know you can't answer the statement I'm making--that I believe the coast guard should be playing a more important role in the north, and not necessarily our military. I think the coast guard should play a more visible role in all parts of the country, but obviously there are staffing shortages, and you're under financial constraints.

Are you advising the government to move as quickly as possible on recruitment for the coast guard in the very near future?

[George Da Pont]

Mr. Chairman, first of all I do want to reiterate--and I think it's very important to understand this--that there have been significant investments in the coast guard over the last few years, including this particular year, when we have received some very significant funding to address what have been our chronic operating shortfalls.

While I certainly don't pretend that it deals with all our funding issues, I actually feel confident that we have really begun to turn a corner and that we're not operating in as tight a situation as we have been for the last few years. I think those investments are starting to show in a variety of areas with our assets and vessels.

In terms of the larger recruitment issue, our issue so far has not been recruitment. People are very attracted to the coast guard. They have a high interest in the coast guard. They want a career in the coast guard.

Our problem is matching up recruiting and training people before people leave, so that they can be ready. That is the one thing we are looking at concerning our options and flexibilities, because as I mentioned, it takes us quite a while to get people ready, and if we have to wait until people leave, it will be more difficult to manage.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Thank you, Mr. Da Pont.

Mr. Cummins and Mr. Manning will split their ten minutes.

[John Cummins, Conservative, Delta—Richmond East, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Da Pont, you acknowledge that the U.S. Coast Guard operates in a somewhat different fashion from the Canadian Coast Guard, but to a degree I think their responsibilities are similar to those of the Canadian Coast Guard.

A few years ago this committee attended the coast guard station at Seattle. We were very impressed with the officer in charge there. He's probably one of the most impressive figures I've met in my career here as a politician.

I see that recently a new head of the U.S. Coast Guard was appointed, Vice-Admiral Thad Allen, and you've mentioned his name. When I look at his résumé, I see that he was a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, that he's a specialist in operations in both the coastal and offshore environments, and that he served aboard three coast guard cutters, one of which he commanded. He's got coastal command experience, and it goes on and on.

My question to you is this: what are your qualifications to provide the leadership the coast guard needs at this time?

[George Da Pont]

Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, first of all, I would say there's a significant difference between the U.S. Coast Guard and the Canadian Coast Guard, which I think is relevant to answering the question.

As you know, the Canadian Coast Guard is a civilian organization. The U.S. Coast Guard is a military organization. The honourable member is quite right that the U.S. Coast Guard is responsible for all the same things that the Canadian Coast Guard is responsible for. However, in addition to that, they're responsible for a lot of front-line enforcement activities that in our country rest with the RCMP. They're responsible for a significant number of border activities that in our country belong with the Canada Border Services Agency. They're responsible for a great number of regulatory functions, in addition to their military functions, which in our country are with Transport Canada.

While we are certainly very similar in terms of our programs and what they call their legacy programs, they have a much broader range of responsibilities, in a lot of different areas, that the Canadian Coast Guard doesn't have.

In terms of my qualifications, I tried to address them in my opening statement. I've been a public servant for 25 years. I've worked very closely with the senior management of the coast guard in various capacities for the last seven years. I'm very familiar with a number of their key issues. I've been part of many of their key initiatives over the past years. I have had some operational experience in delivering the small craft harbour program and the aquaculture program, in a previous part of my career.

I feel that given the key issues facing the coast guard, which are issues in terms of replacing its workforce and issues in terms of replacing its assets, my background and skills set is certainly suited to the key challenges facing that organization right now.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Thank you.

Very quickly, Mr. Cummins.

[John Cummins, Conservative, Delta—Richmond East, BC]

The fundamental business of the coast guard, Mr. Da Pont, beside these other issues, is search and rescue and providing security to mariners on the coast.

We had the tragic sinking of the Cap Rouge II in British Columbia a few years ago, which all the members here are familiar with. During that particular rescue effort, there was interference by the commissioner's office here with the people who were on site. The folks in the commissioner's office here were not experienced mariners, and there was a problem in leadership.

Again, how can you provide leadership in the field to the people who are required to provide the search and rescue capabilities that the coast guard offers and Canadians expect when that is not your area of expertise?

[George Da Pont]

Again, Mr. Chairman, I don't see the job of Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard as planning SAR operations in the field or planning individual environmental cleanups. I am very confident that we have strong professional people in the field to do those jobs. We have strong assistant commissioners in each region and their primary job is operations.

As commissioner, one of my key jobs is to focus on making sure the people in the field who are delivering these services have the tools, the training, and the resources to do their jobs. It is the big contribution that the commissioner of the coast guard makes.

I would certainly agree with your observation, although I am not making any comment on the Cap Rouge II. I'm not familiar with the details.

I certainly don't see myself micromanaging or trying to run individual operations from Ottawa. I think that would be a big mistake, and I don't think it's the job of the commissioner of the coast guard.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Thank you, Mr. Da Pont.

Mr. Manning.

[Fabian Manning, Conservative, Avalon, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Welcome, Commissioner.

With regard to icebreaking fees for the coast guard, it's my understanding that in Newfoundland and Labrador they sometimes turn to operations. Is the review process ongoing in the coast guard now to address some of the concerns with regard to the cost of icebreaking fees and some type of reduced operating cost? That's my first question.

I'll ask both questions now so that we can save time.

On the status of the procurement process with regard to cost analysis, you mentioned the coherent multi-year plan. Could you give us some thoughts on that, please, with regard to the cost analysis of what you're looking at for the next five years?

[George Da Pont]

In terms of your first question, on icebreaking fees, yes, they are one component of the overall issue of marine service fee, which I mentioned and Minister Hearn indicated. He has begun a process with the shipping industry to review marine service fees in general, which include icebreaking fees.

In terms of the status of our multi-year planning, I'm not in a position to give you any figures today, because we're still working on the best mix of options. What I would say is that one of my objectives is to try to see if we can get a commitment to study ongoing investment in the coast guard and particularly in the fleet.

If memory serves me well, the coast guard received something like 45 or 46 vessels in the 1980s. Since then, it has not received any large vessels, and in the intervening 25 years has received around 40 new small vessels. It's very difficult, as anyone can appreciate, if you're making investments in fits and starts. This creates considerable downstream pressures, which are what we're facing now with the aging of our large fleet. I'd like to have a plan where we make steady, ongoing investments in a paced way over time, so we don't find ourselves with a lot of vessels toward the end of their life span, which is what we have now in the large fleet.

[Fabian Manning, Conservative, Avalon, NL]

Okay.