Mr. Chairman, I thank the minister for being here tonight to participate in the debate. Unless we can get our information from him and he can get the answers to all of us we will never solve the problem.
The minister remembers last year that when we talked about marine infrastructure the officials would say, “No, everything is great. Our wharves and everything are perfect”. We then had hearings and people had to come and really discuss the problem openly. We were told that $400 million was needed just to bring marine infrastructure up to par.
We are hearing now from the minister's own people that $500 million is needed over the next few years to bring the Coast Guard up to par; $350 million roughly to replace an aging fleet and provide proper coverage, and $150 million or $160 million to keep it going. I wonder if the minister thinks these figures are accurate.
Second, in relation to seniority, could the minister tell us the status of people working in the Coast Guard?