Evidence of meeting #40 for National Defence in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was vessels.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I think through the shipbuilding program we have absolutely provided some contingency. That is kind of what led to the three interim icebreakers in the—
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Have you recently provided specific advice to the government regarding contingency plans for critical failure on any of the existing fleet of critical infrastructure as outlined in the OAG report?
Is there a reason this hasn't been provided?
Has the government asked for contingency plans for potential failure of infrastructure like satellite ships or aircraft for monitoring?
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I might propose that we get back with a written response to that. I think ultimately on the ship side we did provide that advice. There was an investment made, and so the mitigation we requested has now been addressed.
Director General, Vessel Procurement, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
The plan for fleet renewal was developed in 2018-2019.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Has it been updated since?
Has any advice on contingency plans been updated over the last couple of years?
Director General, Vessel Procurement, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
No, we still consider the plan to be a solid one. We have not updated it past that point.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Has it been updated in the context of an increased use of asymmetric competition by China and Russia with regard to Arctic strategy?
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
No, it hasn't. I think our focus has been on our capabilities to deliver the programs we're mandated to do here in Canada. That's how we've been using it—
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Has China's focus on asymmetric competition informed any contingency planning for critical failure of key equipment in your department in recent years, since 2019?
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I'll say yes to that. I think something we have certainly seen from other countries is some of the technological capabilities—
Conservative
Liberal
Kody Blois Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
On a point of order, Mr. Chair, if I may be recognized, I know it's Ms. Rempel Garner's time, but she's asking a litany of questions. I believe our witnesses are doing their best to respond. Before the witness is even able to get through the answer, he is being interrupted. I would like to be able to hear the answer to the question. I know there's a careful balance that needs to be struck by the chair to make sure she has her time to ask questions, and I hope we can find that balance so we can actually hear the rest of the answer.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Generally, I regard the member's time as the member's time, to ask questions as they see fit. I must admit that given the rapidity of the questions, I wasn't even sure I was understanding the questions.
We'll finish off the five minutes, but I take note of it.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Well, Chair, it's not the first time I've been shut down by a Liberal. I'm sure it won't be the last time I, particularly as a woman, will be.
Thank you.
Would you be able to table with committee any analysis or advice that your department has provided the government with regard to contingency planning for critical infrastructure failure, particularly in the context of an increased posture of asymmetric competition by Russia and China?
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Yes, we'll be able to go back and provide what there may be.
Just on the last point, I talked about our having a policy of using new technology and also of using old school ways of doing things. We don't have a specific analysis that tells us what we should do, but understanding the capabilities of other countries to interrupt things like AIS and GPS, we're ensuring that our mariners are familiar with the old methods of doing things without technology.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Thank you, Ms. Rempel Garner.
Mr. May, you have the final five minutes.
November 22nd, 2022 / 11:55 a.m.
Liberal
Bryan May Liberal Cambridge, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our witnesses for being here and for providing their amazing testimony today.
Going last in the panel means I tend to have heard many of the questions I was hoping to ask. Thank you to those who covered a lot of what I wanted to speak about.
I would like to bring us back to the Coast Guard and particularly how you're adapting to the changing climate in the north. What trends are you monitoring and planning for in terms of vessel traffic, protecting the marine environment, ensuring public safety and supporting Canada's security and sovereignty?
I know there's a lot there and you may have touched on much of it, but I want to give you an opportunity to kind of summarize all of that.
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
With regard to climate change, I would say we continue to monitor the actual conditions. Specifically our interests are in the ice conditions with respect to navigation capability, so I think that's where a lot of the focus is. We work very closely with, as I mentioned, Inuit, first nations and Métis, and we listen a lot to their perspectives on what they're seeing in their individual communities. We are incorporating that feedback into any conversations around new infrastructure that could exist in a certain location and even places where we might make future investments to support our polar icebreakers or the fleet of the future, and where the best locations would be, given the understanding that the climate is evolving.
The other thing I would say specifically with regard to our national shipbuilding strategy is that we're building ships for an uncertain future. We have a very good sense of what our mandate is today, but we also appreciate that over decades that might evolve and change, so we're trying to build ships that are going to be adaptable with the modularity that's essentially going to allow us to have the right asset for whatever the Government of Canada asks us to do in the future.
Liberal
Bryan May Liberal Cambridge, ON
Thank you for that.
I want to maybe use the last couple minutes of my time here to ask you to follow up on some of the questions that were asked by both Bloc and NDP colleagues about tourist traffic in the north. I've been seized with this issue since long before I was even on this committee. My riding of Cambridge has a company called exactEarth, which is in the business of tracking vessels. A number of years ago, I was in their operations room watching the first-ever crossing of the Northwest Passage by a cruise ship, and there were several federal departments that were very keenly focused on that and concerned about that.
When we're talking about this type of travel, you talked about there being an issue of distance and capabilities and how it could potentially take four days to rescue a vessel and how it seems to be growing in terms of their capacity and size given that the ice is melting and they're able to actually navigate these waters. Is this a conversation we should be having at the Arctic Council to say, look, we understand the rules of these types of passageways and that we can't necessarily say no to these types of passages, but should we? It's not a question of whether one of these larger cruise ships will run aground; it's a matter of when, so should we start having that conversation? There is not a cruise line in existence today that has a perfect record. Every single cruise line has had a situation in which a ship has run aground—every single one of them. What can we do? Should we be having that conversation at the Arctic Council or somewhere else?
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I think with regard to decisions on whether or not Canada wants to change rules, that question might be better directed to foreign affairs—GAC—or Transport Canada. What I can talk about is more the response and the planning side. We work extensively with the cruise ship operators, so we have a relationship with all the cruise ship companies that are operating in the Canadian Arctic right now. Over the course of 2020 and 2021 when they were not allowed to operate in the Arctic, we actually kind of doubled down and did a lot of tabletop exercises with them with regard to getting back to regular business for them this year. We expect that those relationships will certainly pay dividends if and when we get into a situation where there's a real live exercise.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Mr. May, your time is up.
On behalf of the committee, I want to thank both of you, Assistant Commissioner O'Rourke and Director General Wight, for your testimony before the committee. It was informative. It was very rapid at some points, and we thank you for your willingness to share your insights with the committee.
With that, colleagues, we will suspend and re-empanel once we are all connected up with technology.
Thank you all again.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Colleagues, we're resuming.
I understand that Mr. O'Rourke is up for a second round of punishment, and he'll be staying. Joining us now is Dale Kirsch, president of the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association; along with Bill Ralph, national administrator; and Dave Taylor, director, who are all here by video conference.
Welcome, gentlemen. I'm assuming that Mr. O'Rourke is not going to make a second five-minute statement, so I'll call on one of you to make your five-minute statement, and we'll go from there.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Oh, he does have a statement.
Well, I'll call on you second.
With that, one of you is going to make a five-minute statement, and we look forward to it.