Mr. Speaker, I have a petition containing 142 signatures of people from Calgary, the Gulf Islands, Victoria and the lower mainland.
The petitioners are saying that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans no longer provides sufficient resources for the Coast Guard to effectively perform rescue operations; that the lack of resources has led to several people, who potentially could have been saved but who drowned on the west coast this year; that the Coast Guard is in desperate need of a new hovercraft; and that it appears that the current government does not have as a priority a search and rescue service that has the ability to save lives.
Therefore, the petitioners want to make the Coast Guard an independent body, whose priority would be to save lives, separate from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and with all the necessary resources for staffing and equipment.