Mr. Speaker, public safety is this government's first priority, as I mentioned before. As we have stated many times before, the provision of bilingual coordination services will not be compromised by the consolidation of the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre Quebec into the joint rescue coordination centres. In fact, the Canadian Coast Guard plans to enhance the bilingual capacity of coordination services over time with the levels currently in place. With such enhanced bilingual capacity, French-speaking mariners, as I mentioned before, can be confident that their calls for assistance will be answered in the language of their choice by highly trained professional search and rescue coordinators.
We recognize that some people are concerned about this transition. However, I stand before you to reassure Canadians. Bilingual search and rescue services will always be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Such is our commitment now and our pledge for the future. The safety and security of Canadians will not be compromised.