Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to respond to the member opposite on the consolidation of the maritime rescue sub-centre located in Quebec City with the joint rescue coordination centres located in Halifax and Trenton. This is an issue that we have discussed repeatedly in the House and there seems to be quite a bit of confusion over the facts.
Let me begin by reiterating that Fisheries and Oceans Canada remains steadfast in its dedication to the safety of all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Canada is a national and international leader in marine safety and the Canadian Coast Guard search and rescue program is among the best in the world. As we have stated many times before, this change does not affect the availability of search and rescue resources.
Coast Guard ships and the Coast Guard Auxiliary will continue to respond to emergencies as they have previously with the joint rescue coordination centres maintaining the current levels of service provided by the Canadian Coast Guard. We will continue to ensure that timely and appropriate marine search and rescue coordination and response services are available to all mariners.
With regard to the report by the Commissioner of Official Languages, the Canadian Coast Guard is well positioned to respond to the recommendations and have already taken action to address the key issues raised in the report. However, the blanket statement that distress calls made in French will not be handled properly if they are handled in Halifax or Trenton is simply unfounded. In fact, the national level of bilingual capacity will be enhanced over time, above and beyond that which is already provided.
Here are the facts. Currently, bilingual services are provided by two rescue centres: Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax and the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre Quebec. The consolidation team has taken great care to ensure that the capacity is enhanced before the Quebec centre is fully consolidated into the joint rescue coordination centres. First, our ongoing campaign to recruit successful bilingual applicants continues to bring forward motivated professionals who are dedicated to ensuring public safety. Second, we are providing existing maritime search and rescue coordinators with additional language training, and third, we have added additional bilingual coordination positions and increased the current level of language proficiency.
With such enhanced bilingual capacity, French-speaking mariners can be confident that their calls for assistance will be answered by trained and capable French-speaking coordinators, as has always been the case. Let me reassure the member that this transition will have no impact on existing search and rescue coordination service standards. Coordination services will still be provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in both official languages and will be delivered by the joint rescue coordination centres in Halifax and Trenton. The provision of bilingual services is critical.
We understand that change can be a bit difficult as the future can be difficult to predict. However, in this case, there is no cause for concern as we have taken careful steps to address these requirements. The Canadian Coast Guard prides itself on providing reliable services that Canadians can be confident in and this will not be changed. Such is the pledge of this government and will continue to be.