House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2015, with 28% of the vote.
Tourism Industry May 7th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I assure the member opposite that we take the safety of the users as our primary focus. As a result, we have closed access to the wharf for vehicles and pedestrians. We will continue to examine our next steps in conjunction with the local authorities.
Search and Rescue May 3rd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, of course, our primary concern is the safety of mariners, and providing bilingual service to those mariners is critical. There is no intention of moving the facility from Quebec City to Montreal.
Tourism Industry May 3rd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, of course, we recognize the value of tourism in that region of the country as well as of the fishery.
The wharf is primarily used for tourism and recreational purposes. Approximately five fish harvesters are working from that wharf: three regular and two occasional fishers. Our primary focus, of course, with small craft harbours is the fishing community and the fishing industry. We will continue to deal with the municipality on this issue.
Tourism Industry May 3rd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, of course the safety and security of users is the department's first priority when it comes to small craft harbours and wharves. The engineers have determined that the wharf at Percé is unsafe.
We have met with the municipality and will continue to discuss the next steps with the municipality and interested third parties.
Search and Rescue May 1st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, there is no way we will put in jeopardy the lives of our mariners and people on the water.
As for the Kitsilano base, the member is wrong. The response time was much quicker than she indicated.
Since the closure of CCG Kitsilano base in February, the Canadian Coast Guard Sea Island station has responded to 38 search and rescue maritime distress incidents in the greater Vancouver area. These incidents involved 48 lives at risk. In all cases, the hovercraft arrived in less than 10 minutes.
Search and Rescue May 1st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, as indicated in the statement on March 28, the Canadian Coast Guard will delay consolidation of the Quebec region until such time as we are confident that bilingual capacity is ensured for that joint rescue centre.
The safety of mariners remains a top priority for us. We will do nothing to jeopardize that safety.
Fisheries and Oceans April 29th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the dredging program through small craft harbours is intact. It is the same funding it has always been funded.
The Environment April 24th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her questions from her speaking notes. The federal government has been involved for some time with the province of Ontario as we have tried to move this file forward. As indicated, the negotiations with IISD are ongoing and subject to a confidentiality agreement. We are hopeful that an agreement can be reached, and details will be shared at a suitable time.
The Environment April 24th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, as has been made clear for several months now, the federal government has been leading negotiations with third parties in order to secure a new operator for the Experimental Lakes Area. The federal government has involved the province of Ontario as it owns the land on which the property sits.
Our government is continuing important freshwater research in other facilities across Canada, such as the Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg and the Bayfield Institute in Burlington. We are also making important investments to clean up freshwater lakes like Lake Winnipeg and Lake Simcoe.
Fisheries and Oceans April 23rd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I would have thought that if anyone had been paying attention on September 21, 2012, it would have been the member for Cardigan. I clearly stated that we will not eliminate the fleet separation and owner-operator policies. We were clear about that. Those policies are in effect and will remain in effect.