Mr. Speaker, once again, our condolences go out to the loved ones of Burton Winters.
While the legal authority for ground search and rescue does rest with the provincial and territorial governments, the Canadian Forces, as a partner in the search and rescue network, nevertheless, reviewed the protocol surrounding Canadian Forces participation in this search.
In future, the Canadian Forces will implement a call back protocol to ensure continuous communications on ground searches in order to enhance awareness of changing circumstances and the potential need of Canadian Forces participation. This ongoing dialogue will continue until the file is closed. This new protocol will enhance the capabilities of all partners to our search and rescue network across Canada.