Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Maintaining surveillance is certainly important to me as a coastal MP. We're concerned that we don't have enough eyes on our coast. We want to make sure we have adequate surveillance out there. I don't think our radar coverage is adequate on the coast either, in terms of marine communication traffic services. We have radar right in Ucluelet, in my riding, that monitors approaches to the coast, but there are all kinds of areas that aren't covered and that's where we hope capabilities like the Aurora will cover for those deficiencies on land.
I understand from this whole program with the Auroras, the modernization program that has been under way for about 10 years already, that these airplanes will be maintained and they will be carrying on their program until.... And if there is a replacement decided on eventually, there will be continuation of service through judicious use of the equipment we have available.
That's certainly of interest to me for coastal patrol. We don't want to see any gaps there. But I think when you have huge infrastructure investments.... Again, to use a B.C. analogy--Mr. Dosanjh, another B.C. member ,has joined us now--we had a huge infrastructure in ferries, and there was no game plan to replace them. Now we suddenly have a huge capital outlay that has to happen.
So the modernization of our capabilities is something we have to stay on top of. I would think something as important as surveying our coasts...particularly in a day when we have nasty people out there who might like to cause us havoc in our shipping lanes and our coastal environment and so on, if there was a nasty event. We have to maintain surveillance there. I think we have to maintain that capability. That's certainly the order of where the department is heading.
My concern with the motion here is that it speaks as though the program were actually cancelled, and that's not the fact as I see it.
I think, Mr. Coderre, with all due respect, if we're asking the Auditor General to review this--and I have no problem with reviewing the Aurora program--let's at least word the motion in an appropriate manner that reflects the realities as we understand them.
The program hasn't been cancelled. It's just that the best expenditure is still under review. We could ask for her input on that. I think we should just amend the motion so that it reflects the realities as we understand them, with all due respect.