Evidence of meeting #38 for National Defence in the 40th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was nunavik.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Believe me, we know.
With respect—and I take your points on geography and so on—I would suggest that the reason it seems you've been excluded is strictly because of provincial boundaries.
But along that line, you talked about support from the Province of Quebec. Could you elaborate on the kind of support you've had from the Province of Quebec to be included in the broader issue of northern sovereignty?
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
The encouragement or the help you've been getting from the Province of Quebec to be included in the national issue of northern sovereignty.
Vice-President, Economic Development, Makivik Corporation
I am not quite sure how to answer that.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Has Quebec been helping you become included in the national northern sovereignty solution?
Vice-President, Economic Development, Makivik Corporation
I believe so. I did see some correspondence. I believe it was one of the ministers, or Premier Charest, who said he would bring it up...or he did bring it up, with Minister Strahl, I believe. I am not quite sure. There was some stuff about a year and a half ago.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Okay, fair enough.
Just as a point on the SAR, the rangers are a great resource. I have travelled with the rangers. I have lived with them for a couple of days. They're a pretty neat organization.
Within the last year or so we have made a commitment to re-equip and expand the rangers. What is your view of that, and where do you think that will end up?
Vice-President, Economic Development, Makivik Corporation
A few of my friends have broken down ski-doos that can't be replaced by the rangers. They can't go hunting because of it.
They do get a nominal fee, a rental rate for using their machines, but they break down. There's a lot of wear and tear on those machines because they're used quite heavily for patrols.
I am very happy to hear about better equipment for the rangers.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
I've been with them when they were welding bed springs to make A-frames on snowmobiles. They're very adaptable and resourceful people.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Sticking with SAR for a minute, you mentioned it takes up to five days for Trenton to authorize a search by the rangers. What's the norm? Does it take up to five days? Is five days the norm, or is the norm shorter than that?
Vice-President, Economic Development, Makivik Corporation
I think four or five days is pretty much the norm. In distance alone, CFB Trenton is very far from Nunavik, and even farther from Nunavut. It takes a long time for the planes to arrive.
It's mainly recovery, not a search and rescue. It becomes a recovery process instead of a search and rescue in those cases.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
You mentioned that part of the reason for the delay is cultural. Your people are out on the land. They're hunting, fishing, camping and so on, and it is not unusual for someone to be out of contact for some period of time. Is that a contributing factor, needing to make sure this is a search and rescue situation?
Vice-President, Economic Development, Makivik Corporation
No. Hunters know they have to inform someone of the time they should be returning from the land. If there's a weather issue they might return a day later, maybe two days later. If it's not weather-related, it becomes pretty easy to tell if there's some type of emergency.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
You mentioned the military, and obviously the military plays a significant role in the north. But as you're aware, INAC is the lead agency for northern sovereignty. Do you see the fact that the Department of Indian Affairs is the lead agency and DND is not the lead agency as a positive?
Vice-President, Economic Development, Makivik Corporation
It's still the government.
It could be good, I guess. I didn't really think of it in terms of that. We probably have better contact with INAC than we do with the Department of National Defence.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
You mentioned deep-sea ports and charting. Obviously, your people have managed for centuries with the charting such as it is, and that is not an excuse for bad charting. We heard from other groups that this has been an historical challenge for many more than the people of Nunavik. We heard that only about 20% of the Arctic waters are in fact charted, and a great deal of that is unreliable. I mean, it's a good point, but it's a much broader issue than only in your part of the north.
With respect to deep-sea ports, we would probably like to have a number of them throughout the north. Obviously, it takes time and it takes money. Do you have any suggestions on specific locations, recommendations that this would be a good spot for whatever reason for a deep-sea port?
Vice-President, Economic Development, Makivik Corporation
There have been studies done on deep-sea ports before. We would need one, but it wouldn't be more than that in our region of Nunavik.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
I understand. The one at Nanisivik, as you mentioned, is obviously a good idea. One farther south, and perhaps one farther west....
Vice-President, Economic Development, Makivik Corporation
We're on the mainland, the mainland being Canada. We're not on an island. A deep-sea port with a road system to that deep-sea port would be very beneficial, I believe, for economic opportunities for the north and the south.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
I don't think anybody would argue with that, but the cost is obviously a factor for any government.
Vice-President, Economic Development, Makivik Corporation
May I add a little bit to that, to the hydrographic charts? As you said, only about 20% of the Arctic waters are charted. It's really difficult for the cruise ships to enter certain areas, especially when the waters are not charted. Even though there's a huge cliff here and another one there and it must be thousands of feet deep in there, they can't enter that harbour because it's uncharted. It's a risk.
There are very scenic and very nice areas they cannot go to. They have to follow pretty much a straight path, because the waters are not charted.
Conservative