Mr. Speaker, yes, this was a very serious situation. This Russian ship lost power outside Canadian waters.
On the west coast, the private sector provides towing services to the marine industry, but we are very grateful to the men and women of the Canadian Coast Guard and the Department of National Defence. They were able to keep the situation under control in what were very difficult conditions.
This member should not be asking about the Canadian Coast Guard because he well remembers what happened during his tenure. For over a decade, they let the Coast Guard vessels sit tied up—