Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark a sad occasion, that of the capsizing of the vessel L'Acadien II.
On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to offer once again our deepest sympathies to the families and the friends of Bruno Bourque, Gilles Leblanc, Marc-André Déraspe and Carl Aucoin, who lost their lives one year ago on the night of March 29, 2008.
This tragedy has been extremely difficult for the families, friends and all the residents of the close-knit communities in Îles-de-la-Madeleine. This tragedy has also deeply marked the men and women who proudly serve in the Canadian Coast Guard.
The Government of Canada is confident that it has a better understanding of what happened on March 29 last year, and the Coast Guard will be releasing its action plan in the near future.
I can assure the families and friends of those who were lost that we will take all steps necessary to reduce the chance of any repetition of this tragedy.