I will make some final remarks.
In my view, this is more than a safety issue; it is truly an issue of official languages. We know that these are difficult days for bilingualism, especially here, in Ottawa. I think we could do something meaningful. Listen to this; I think it says a lot.
In the early hours of May 18, at about 4:30 a.m., a small fishing boat capsized in the Tabusintac channel, in New Brunswick, and the three men on board died. After having gone out in an attempt to save the men, a francophone fisherman called the Halifax rescue centre to provide information on the search that he had conducted and to ask for new instructions. An anglophone answered his call. After that, he called back five or six times. The second time, another anglophone answered. He had to wait for his call to be transferred to someone who spoke French. He spoke to a francophone the other times.
That situation occurred after a visit by the Commissioner of Official Languages representative to the Halifax centre, last February, and after the coast guard had ensured the commissioner that it would take steps to make the rescue centres in Halifax and Trenton bilingual before closing the Quebec Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre, which is already bilingual.
Let's summarize the incident. A francophone fisherman had to call three times—I repeat: three times—before being able to talk to a French-speaking coordinator at the Halifax centre. There was a francophone team member on the shift when the first call came in, but he was busy elsewhere. That is unacceptable. It proves that operations cannot be effective if only some staff members at a rescue centre are bilingual. For a centre that manages emergencies to be truly effective, 100% of the staff must be bilingual.
Following his visit to Halifax, the Commissioner of Official Languages announced that there would be another visit in November to ensure that all of his recommendations were being followed. If they were not being followed, public safety and the safety of navigators would not be guaranteed. Bear in mind nonetheless that the Commissioner of Official Languages is looking after this file. That shows that it is not simply a safety issue, but also an official language issue. That is why having our committee discuss the problem is not completely off base.
I can clearly see what will happen if we leave this matter to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. They will pass the buck back and forth. I am looking at everyone around this table, and I personally think that Canadians are paying taxes for us to be here discussing this. I don't think it would be a good idea to throw their money out the window. That makes no sense. We must examine the issue.
When you make decisions, you must take full responsibility for them. If the minister and her government saw fit to make this decision and if she is convinced that she has made the best decision of her life, the best decision on the planet, she needs to come and defend it. My colleague was right when she said that. It would be very appropriate for the minister to come and explain the situation to us. She could provide us with an explanation on some incidents that have occurred, like the one last May 18 or others.
This is more than a safety issue; this is also a language issue. The two aspects are intertwined. You have to understand that. I know that many people from Quebec, even some Conservatives, voted against the decision. Closing that centre makes no sense.
Having said that, I had to allow myself these final remarks. It would be completely wrong to say that this issue is not linked to official languages. I hope that people will listen to reason. That is really what it is about at this committee.