Hunter Tootoo

[Ethics, February 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, as the government House leader said, it is really hard to take ethical advice from that side of the House. I am sure all Canadians would agree with that. As the House leader said, if opposition members believe they have something other than standing here in question period trying to make people look bad, why do they not file a complaint?

[Ethics, February 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, it looks as if on Friday, today, we have found another fan of the book Something from Nothing.

As minister, I and my team held many meetings with stakeholders on issues related to my mandate. The individual the member is talking about was a fine public servant at the time in my department and attended these meetings as my acting chief of staff. He was doing his job. He did it well. All the rules were followed. The system works.

[Ethics, February 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, there is another fan of Phoebe Gilman's book, Something from Nothing.

Regarding the two meetings. I attended one of the meetings on January 17 with Mr. Fram, and it involved a not-for-profit organization called CAST, or Collaboration for Atlantic Salmon Tomorrow. The other meeting involving my acting chief of staff, Mr. Fram, was on January 20. It was a high level meeting on shipbuilding. I asked him to attend on my behalf because I was in meetings in Quebec City.

[Marine Transportation, February 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, the Canadian Coast Guard has modernized its Marine Communications and Traffic Services centre with 21st century technology. We are moving forward with that plan, the equipment is working, and the committee members will do their work, and I am sure they will come to the same conclusions that we have, that the system is working and the coverage is exactly the same as it was before.

[Ethics, February 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite seems to be a fan of Phoebe Gilman's book, Something from Nothing.

In the first 100 days of my mandate, I was very busy. I travelled from coast to coast to coast and had meetings with many key stakeholders. These individuals included provincial and territorial ministers, indigenous leaders, conservation and fisheries stakeholders, as well as industry. At the time of the these meetings, this fine individual was a public servant from my department and was attending these meetings as my acting chief of—

[Fisheries and Oceans, February 24th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member and the people in his riding that the department understands the significance of these piers to the community and that they are an important local tourist attraction.

Access to the piers has been restricted in order to protect public safety. We have recently received follow-up engineering reports and will work with the city on assessing short- and long-term repair options.

[Fisheries and Oceans, February 23rd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, we know how important sockeye salmon is to British Columbians. That is why we committed to acting on the recommendations of the Cohen commission. I have met with Justice Cohen as well as the Fraser River Aboriginal Fisheries Secretariat and other key experts and stakeholders in the area. Many of those recommendations have already been implemented and we are in the process of developing ways to move forward on the remaining ones.

I am confident that working together we will be able to restore the sockeye salmon stock in the Fraser River.

[Marine Transportation, February 23rd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, we have invested in new technology. It is like I said last week, switching from a dial phone to a smartphone. This technology is exactly what my staff members need in those centres to keep people safe. They have the training and the ability to do it. Now they have the equipment as well.

[Marine Transportation, February 23rd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, the Coast Guard has modernized its marine communications and traffic services centres with 21st century equipment. I have visited these centres and have seen first hand these new systems that have replaced the 30-year-old technology. Members of the Coast Guard staff are highly trained, highly skilled, and they need the right tools to do their jobs.

[Fisheries and Oceans, February 18th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Coast Guard, as I have mentioned before, has modernized its marine communications and traffic services centres with 21st century equipment. The equipment had not been replaced in over 30 years. It is like moving from a dial phone to a smart phone. This new technology is more reliable and is helping Coast Guard officials deliver critical safety services more efficiently.