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.
12:05 p.m.
Dale Kirsch President, Civil Air Search and Rescue Association
Do we just go ahead and start?
12:05 p.m.
President, Civil Air Search and Rescue Association
Hello, everyone.
My name is Dale Kirsch. I'm the president of the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, CASARA, in Canada. CASARA is a Canada-wide, 1,700-member, aviation-based volunteer association. We're dedicated to providing air search support services 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, primarily to the Royal Canadian Air Force. This includes searches for downed aircraft. Recently, we've been doing more humanitarian efforts, and we help promote Canada’s search and rescue program across Canada.
Our volunteer makeup includes search-and-rescue-trained pilots of civilian aircraft and remotely piloted drones—RPAS units. We also provide navigators, spotters and other various key roles in our organization.
Since 1986, our challenge is to provide search support services for Canadians that cover the entire approximately 9.985 million square kilometres of our nation. However, our operations provide a large economic benefit for Canada through our lower-cost, quick-response, aviation-based organization.
For example, one of the RCAF’s CC-130H Hercules can cost approximately $13,000 per hour to operate versus our cost of around $250 per hour to operate a small aircraft that can have a full search crew up in the air in a fraction of the time that it can take the military.
Our membership is spread out into each member organization, which we call MOs, of our association. We have one MO per province and territory across Canada to run our search operations. This allows us to be prevalent in each section of Canada, including the large and vast northern areas like the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
For example, this past summer we had various member trainings in the north conducted by our MOs and the RCAF for upkeep and readiness, which included Gjoa Haven, located far north in Nunavut above the Arctic Circle on King William Island.
In 1986, CASARA was incorporated and formed as a national association. The directors of the provincial and territorial associations met in Ottawa with representatives of the two federal departments that were sponsoring CASARA: the Department of National Defence and the Department of Transport. All parties signed the agreement that listed the support that the federal government would provide to the association and what the association would provide in return.
From there, we have continuously provided search support and have explored innovative ways to be more effective, expanding our capabilities and looking at different ways that we can be of service to the RCAF and the rest of Canada.
For example, our most recent activities include being at the forefront of implementing remotely piloted aircraft systems, RPAS—or drones—in search and rescue. Paired with Loc8 imaging/video software and other third party applications, we now have another method for us to be effective at meeting the needs of various search conditions: by embracing and adapting new technologies into the world of search and rescue.
That being said as an overview of who we are and what we do, a more detailed showcase of our organization and other related information about us can be found on our website at www.casara.ca.
Thank you.
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Thank you, Mr. Kirsch.
Mr. O'Rourke, you have a second five-minute statement?
12:10 p.m.
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
With your permission, some parts duplicate my first opening statement, so I could skip over those.
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
12:10 p.m.
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Good morning, Mr. Chair and committee members.
My name is Neil O'Rourke, and I am the assistant commissioner of the Arctic region at the Canadian Coast Guard. I appreciate the opportunity to appear before this committee on behalf of the department.
I am here today to speak about the Canadian Coast Guard's icebreaking capabilities in the Arctic.
The Canadian search and rescue system is a co-operative effort between federal, provincial, municipal and territorial governments as well as volunteer organizations. It involves searching for and assisting people, ships, aircraft and other craft that are or that are believed to be in imminent danger.
The Coast Guard supports on-water safety and security by providing a first response to mariners in distress, marine disasters and emergencies nationally, with one of the most effective maritime search and rescue systems in the world. However, the ability of the Coast Guard to conduct search and rescue in the Arctic is hampered by the vast geography, freezing temperatures, changing climate and lack of physical infrastructure.
The Canadian marine SAR system is a shared responsibility supported by the air assets and personnel of the Canadian Armed Forces along with the maritime and air assets of the Canadian Coast Guard and volunteers of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. The maritime component of the federal search and rescue system is the responsibility of the Coast Guard, and this includes federal waterways and oceans in the Canadian Arctic.
In co-operation with partners, the Coast Guard operates the joint rescue coordination centres in the coordination and conduct of maritime SAR incidents in the Arctic through the provision of expertise and resources, such as maritime mission coordinators, icebreakers, helicopters, small craft, as well as communications and alerting services to provide rapid response to marine incidents.
In the Arctic, over the past five years, the Coast Guard coordinated an annual average of 36 maritime SAR events. Nationally, the Coast Guard coordinates 19 maritime SAR incidents on an average day. The centres in Trenton and Halifax provide services to the Canadian Arctic.
In response to the concern of increased vessel traffic in the Arctic and increasing demand for our search and rescue services, one of the key actions we are taking is strengthening and renewing our fleet, as previously discussed.
The Coast Guard works closely with the auxiliary to enhance local incident response capacity. The auxiliary is a key partner in ensuring the safety and security of users of the Canadian Arctic waters in relation to maritime search and rescue.
In July 2018, the Coast Guard opened its first-ever inshore rescue boat station in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, providing seasonal primary search and rescue coverage in the Rankin Inlet area. Since then, local crews have developed the capacity to respond to search and rescue incidents. Building on this previous investment, the 2022 oceans protection plan renewal is providing the Coast Guard with funding to be able to expand this successful initiative into the Arctic marine response station, including the procurement of a new vessel. This funding will support the employment of additional crew members from the local community, extend the station's operational season and procure this additional dedicated search and rescue vessel for Arctic operations, which will allow for an enhanced coverage area. This will also allow for the undertaking of additional infrastructure improvements to enhance operational capabilities in the area.
The Coast Guard is committed to meeting the expanding need for search and rescue services in the north.
Thank you very much for your attention. I'd be pleased to answer your questions.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Thank you, Mr. O'Rourke.
Just before I call on Mr. Kelly, I saw Mr. Taylor adjusting his headset when Mr. O'Rourke switched to French. Are all three of you on the English channel?
Good. Thank you.
With that, Mr. Kelly, go ahead for six minutes, please.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
Thank you.
Mr. O'Rourke, in the earlier testimony, you were asked about vessel interdiction and you mentioned that it is not your place to actually intercept vessels because you don't have constabulary power or military authority.
How long does it take, if you are dealing with some potentially illegal activity, to have constabulary capacity on board?
12:15 p.m.
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Chair, ultimately, it's not so much about having a temporary constabulary duty or capability, if you will; it's more about having the people with the authority on board the ship. The most common situation for us, for example, is having a Transport Canada inspector on board a ship, someone who has the authority.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
When operating in the Arctic, do you normally have RCMP or Transport Canada—or both—present on ships?
12:15 p.m.
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We do not, typically.
12:15 p.m.
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We have the capability to do so when required for those organizations. It can happen very quickly. If it's something that's an emergency situation, it's all about where the RCMP or Transport Canada member might be, and the location, but if it's something just offshore, where they already have a person on the ground, you could get someone onto a ship in 30 minutes by helicopter.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
12:15 p.m.
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Illegal fishing is something that would be more the purview of some of my colleagues in the rest of DFO.
What I can say from the Coast Guard perspective, though, is that we do support the conservation and protection program in that interdiction, and again, they are the ones who hold the mandate and would be on board the vessel.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
In the Arctic, where, as you said earlier, you are normally the only or the principal agent of the federal government, really, if there are unauthorized foreign vessels, potential criminal activity or even a potential environmental or pollution situation or something, you're the only vessel there, but you don't have the ability to intercept vessels. You don't have the ability to engage in police activity in the Arctic.
12:15 p.m.
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Yes, that's essentially accurate. The information would go to the MSOCs, where those other departments sit, and then a decision could be made by those departments with the authority to say that we need to get out there, and then they would essentially request us to do so.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
The Auditor General has said that in the Arctic we have incomplete surveillance, insufficient data and very poor means of sharing data. Do you agree with that assessment?
12:15 p.m.
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We worked very closely with the Auditor General on this report, and the Coast Guard supports the recommendations that were made.
Ultimately—
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
12:15 p.m.
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
That there are improvements to be made with regard to the sharing of information, absolutely we do.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
12:15 p.m.
Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
From that perspective, yes, I would agree with that.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
Okay.
Do you think the estimates of Arctic vessel traffic are accurate? If the surveillance capacity is insufficient and incomplete, how much confidence can you have or do you have in vessel traffic numbers?