Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, gentlemen, for your presentations, in particular Mr. Breen, in relation to the loss of your family member. Your presentation and all of them are obviously motivated by grave concern for the lives and safety of all those working, particularly offshore, whether it be in marine transportation, fishing, or offshore oil industries.
I have just one comment. Mr. Murphy was talking about the billions in profits that the oil industry is making. I think it's also fair to say that they're paying billions of dollars in taxes and enhancing the ability of the government to provide the kinds of services that are needed as well. I think that's important to note.
We received some statistics this morning suggesting that nationwide there are, on average, in excess of 6,700 SAR incidents occurring throughout the country every year, of which over 5,000 are maritime incidents. It's obviously pretty key in our offshore situation, as Minister Skinner pointed out, where we have three times the area mass of the Maritimes, yet it seems all the fixed-wing assets are in Greenwood, in one corner of the whole so-called Halifax area of service.
Also, as Mr. McCurdy referred to, we don't know how much goes on between 8 and 4. In reality, a study done by DND in 2004, over a three-year period, in an assessment of when these incidents occurred, shows that in fact--in terms of the eight hours per day, five days a week service--17% of the incidents occur in that time, meaning that over 80% occur outside that 8 to 4 period. So it does seem skewed the wrong way.
We also have a situation, as we heard yesterday from Mr. Feltham, one of your members in Gander, where there's a big change in the fishing industry since the moratorium. People are going farther out and staying longer and are therefore at greater risk. This is a big change. There's a big change--as Mr. Kelly, Mr. Murphy, and you, Mr. Skinner, pointed out--in that there are more people in the offshore, hundreds and hundreds of people at any one time...the number of vessels.
I don't know how long the 30-minute response has been in place for daytime, but we heard today that the average response out of Gander in the last two years during the daytime has been 19 minutes. So it seems that it is possible. If the average is 19 minutes, then obviously some of the time is lower than 19 and some of it is a little higher. But it seems that it is possible to get an aircraft, a helicopter, in the air in 20 minutes--if you have the resources available, if you have the staffing issues sorted out.
Mr. Skinner, my question really is to you. There's been a big change in the use of our offshore, the risk that's involved, and the need for better facilities. What expectation does the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador have of the Government of Canada, which has the prime responsibility for search and rescue in Canada? What expectations does your government have of the national government?