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Results: 1 - 15 of 43
View Chris Charlton Profile
NDP (ON)
View Chris Charlton Profile
2012-11-05 14:30 [p.11914]
Mr. Speaker, during the worst recession in a generation, eligibility for EI has hit a 10-year low, and for those who do qualify, service is falling. Two-thirds of EI calls and 50% of CPP calls are not being answered on time. Last week, the minister said that if there were a need, she would bring on more staff, but in reality she is getting rid of staff.
Why will she not keep her promise, fix her department and give people the help they need?
View Kellie Leitch Profile
CPC (ON)
View Kellie Leitch Profile
2012-11-05 14:30 [p.11914]
Mr. Speaker, the report continues to show that 8 out of 10 individuals in Canada qualify for employment insurance. Let us be very clear: This government is focused on making sure that those who are unemployed have an opportunity to have a job. We have created 820,000 net new jobs since the downturn of the recession. We have a number of items that we put forward, whether they be the targeted initiative for older workers or apprenticeship grants, or an opportunity for individuals to support the hiring credit for small businesses. These are all things that the opposition members vote against time and again.
View Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet Profile
NDP (QC)
View Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet Profile
2012-11-05 14:31 [p.11914]
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' changes are not working.
There are not enough staff to answer people's questions at peak periods. That is the problem. It is a perfect example of the Conservatives' mismanagement. The vast majority of calls about employment insurance and old age security are not being answered within the prescribed time limit.
When will the minister stop cutting services to the public and start providing the necessary resources to get the job done?
View Kellie Leitch Profile
CPC (ON)
View Kellie Leitch Profile
2012-11-05 14:31 [p.11914]
Mr. Speaker, Service Canada continues to improve and update its operations to ensure that Canadians receive service effectively, efficiently and, in the best case scenario, in a way that uses taxpayers' dollars effectively. Unlike the NDP, which wants to put in place a $21 billion carbon tax, increase taxes and therefore not provide opportunities for Canadians, we are focused on what Canadians need: efficient and effective service.
View Chris Charlton Profile
NDP (ON)
View Chris Charlton Profile
2012-11-01 14:26 [p.11803]
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives promised that their cuts would not affect front-line services. However, apparently they do not consider answering the phone a front-line service. Only one in three calls about EI is being answered within the minister's own guidelines, and fewer than half of the calls about the CPP and OAS. Canadians in precarious situations are calling to ask about much-needed support but instead of getting help they are getting Muzak. When will the Conservatives admit that their reckless cuts are hurting Canadians?
View Diane Finley Profile
CPC (ON)
View Diane Finley Profile
2012-11-01 14:27 [p.11803]
Mr. Speaker, as the economic recovery continues, we are fortunately seeing a decline in the number of EI applications submitted. That is helping Service Canada to devote resources to reducing the backlog, and it has made some progress there. We will continue to monitor and add resources as needed, as we did in the spring when there was a surge in demand, as there is at various times in the year. Service Canada will continue to work toward providing efficient and effective service to all Canadians.
View Chris Charlton Profile
NDP (ON)
View Chris Charlton Profile
2012-11-01 14:27 [p.11803]
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that when people go to their local service counter to get help, they are asked to call Service Canada instead, but the phone lines are jammed already. Now they are cutting staff even further. Seniors and unemployed Canadians are being put on hold and not getting even the most basic service from their government.
Why will the Minister of Human Resources not take responsibility for the mess that she created and fix her department so that Canadians can get the help they need?
View Diane Finley Profile
CPC (ON)
View Diane Finley Profile
2012-11-01 14:28 [p.11803]
Mr. Speaker, we do want to make sure that Canadians get the benefits to which they are entitled in a swift, effective and efficient manner, and that is why we have put extra resources toward delivering these services.
I am pleased to say that Service Canada's performance has improved since the spring. In fact, in terms of the CPP and OAS, it has an over 90% performance rate. That is encouraging. Service Canada has a ways to go, and we will keep working with them to make sure that they do deliver to Canadians.
View Joe Comartin Profile
NDP (ON)

Question No. 820--
Ms. Joyce Murray:
With regard to the Canadian Coast Guard Kitsilano Search and Rescue base, for each of the years from 2005-2006 until present: (a) to how many and to what type of search and rescue emergencies has the base responded; (b) what was the outcome of each; (c) what was the overall budget for the base, broken down in all applicable categories; and (d) how many full-time, part-time, and contract employees worked at or for the base, and what were their roles and responsibilities?
Response
(Return tabled)

Question No. 826--
Ms. Olivia Chow:
With regard to government resources allocated to research into sideguards on trucks: (a) listed annually for fiscal years 2006 to 2012, what are the resources allocated for researching, collecting, analyzing and evaluating data, broken down by (i) hours allocated, (ii) expenditures, including but not limited to personnel costs, fees, and research investments; (b) what are the (i) rationale, (ii) costs, (iii) planning and exact timelines for Phase II and Phase III of the National Research Council-conducted research work, with specific details about completion dates of the research work for each phase, draft completion dates, report approval and planned and actual publication dates; (c) what are the planned and budgeted time and resource allocation for truck-sideguard-related research work for the fiscal years 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015, including information on the funding source(s) or, in the case of an absence of detailed planning, the rationale and decision-making process; (d) what are the planning and decision-making processes for truck-sideguard-related research and policy work in terms of (i) involved entities, including but not limited to Transport Canada, internal and external government institutions, departments, groups, sub-groups, and individuals, (ii) projected and actual timelines, (iii) involvement of external entities including consultants, experts, research organizations, lawyers, lobbyists, industry associations, companies and civic groups and individuals, broken down by name, dates of involvement, duration of involvement, nature and scope of involvement, involvement in outcomes and results; and (e) from 2006 to the present, who are the external entities involved in any part of the research or decision-making process, including consultants, experts, research organizations, lawyers, lobbyists, industry associations, companies and civic groups and other individuals, broken down by (i) name, (ii) dates of involvement, (iii) duration of involvement, (iv) nature and scope of involvement, (v) involvement in outcomes and results?
Response
(Return tabled)

Question No. 830--
Mr. Sylvain Chicoine:
With regard to the Department of National Defence: (a) how many Members of Parliament wrote to the Minister with respect to the Service Income Security Insurance Plan (SISIP) unfair deduction of Pension Act Payments from 2007 to 2012 inclusive; (b) how many Conservative MPs wrote the Minister with respect to SISIP from 2007 to 2012 inclusive; (c) what was the total amount of money spent by all government departments and agencies on the SISIP class action lawsuit including outside legal counsel; (d) what is the estimated cost for settling the SISIP class action lawsuit; and (e) has the government determined how far back it will apply retroactivity to veterans who were part of the SISIP class action lawsuit?
Response
(Return tabled)

Question No. 831--
Mr. Sylvain Chicoine:
With regard to support for operational stress injuries affecting Canadian Forces (CF) members, veterans and their families: (a) what percentage of CF members and CF veterans suffer from an Operational Stress Injury; (b) what percentage suffer from (i) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (ii) anxiety, (iii) depression, (iv) substance abuse; (c) what is the location of each Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) clinic, broken down by province; (d) what is the number of soldiers accessing each OSISS clinic each year from 2006 to 2012 inclusively; (e) what is the number of family members accessing each OSISS clinic each year from 2006 to 2012 inclusively; (f) what is the annual amount of funding provided for the OSISS clinics each year from 2006 inclusive to 2012; (g) what is the breakdown of funding for each OSISS clinic; (h) what is the annual breakdown of staff costs, and full-time and part-time staff for each OSISS clinic from 2006 inclusive to 2012; (i) how many clients have been admitted to the Residential Treatment Clinic for Operational Stress Injuries from 2010 to 2012; (j) how many days did clients have to wait for admittance to the Residential Treatment Clinic in 2010, 2011 and 2012; (k) how many days did CF members or veterans have to wait for assistance from regular OSISS clinics or OSISS support listing from 2006 to 2012, broken down by year; (l) how many days did family members have to wait for assistance from regular OSISS clinics or OSISS support listing from 2006 to 2012, broken down by year; (m) how many clients have been denied admittance to the Residential Treatment Clinic for Operational Stress Injuries; (n) what is the estimated emotional cost of deployment to the Afghanistan mission; (o) what are the statistics on the number of CF members suicides each year for the last twenty years, broken down by gender; and (p) how are suicides tracked for currently serving CF and CF veterans?
Response
(Return tabled)

Question No. 832--
Mr. Sylvain Chicoine:
With respect to services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs: (a) what is the location of all district offices, broken down by province; (b) what are the operating costs of each office; (c) what is the number of part-time and full-time positions at each district office; (d) what is the number of clients served at each district office from 2007 to 2012 inclusive; (e) what is the average number of calls received by the Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) toll-free line per day; (f) what is the cost of operating the VAC toll-free line per day; (g) what is the cost of shared-service delivery with Service Canada with respect to answering calls on the VAC toll-free line; (h) what are the annual fees for pastoral care each year from 2006 to 2012 inclusive; and (i) what are the annual costs for commemorative events each year from 2006 to 2012 inclusive?
Response
(Return tabled)

Question No. 833--
Mr. Sylvain Chicoine:
With regard to contracts and consulting services within the Department of Veterans Affairs: (a) what is the annual cost of the third-party contract with Quantum; (b) how much did the department pay Keith Coulter for consultant services in 2010, 2011 2012; (c) what are the details of the report produced by Keith Coulter; (d) what is the amount spent by the department on other private consultant fees each year from 2006 to 2012 inclusive; (e) what are the names of businesses or individuals across the country who provide consultant services for the department and what types of services do they provide; and (f) what is the cost of the contract to third party Medavaie Blue Cross from 2006 to 2012 inclusive?
Response
(Return tabled)

Question No. 838--
Ms. Rathika Sitsabaiesan:
With regard to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) funding in the riding of Scarborough—Rouge River for the last five fiscal years: (a) what is the total amount of spending by (i) year, (ii) program; (b) what is the amount of each spending item by (i) Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP), (ii) Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy, (iii) Aboriginal Skills and Training Strategic Investment Fund, (iv) Adult Learning Literacy and Essential Skills Program, (v) Apprenticeship Completion Grant, (vi) Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, (vii) Career Development Services Research (Employment Programs), (viii) Canada-European Union Program for Cooperation in Higher Education, Training and Youth (International Academic Mobility Program), (ix) Canada Summer Jobs (Youth Employment Strategy Program), (x) Career Focus (Youth Employment Strategy Program), (xi) Children and Families (Social Development Partnerships Program), (xii) Contributions for Consultation and Partnership-Building and Canadian-Based Cooperative Activities (International Trade and Labour Program), (xiii) Disability Component (Social Development Partnerships Program), (xiv) Employment Programs-Career Development Services Research, (xv) Enabling Accessibility Fund, (xvi) Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities, (xvii) Federal Public Service Youth Internship Program (Youth Employment Strategy Program), (xviii) Fire Prevention Grants, (xviv) Fire Safety Organizations, (xx) Foreign Credential Recognition Program, (xxi) Homelessness Partnering Strategy, (xxii) International Academic Mobility-Canada-European Union Program for Cooperation in Higher Education, Training and Youth, (xxiii) International Academic Mobility-North American Mobility in Higher Education, (xxiv) International Labour Institutions in which Canada Participates Grants (International Trade and Labour Program), (xxv) International Trade and Labour Program (ITLP) Contributions for Consultation and Partnership-Building and Canadian-Based Cooperative Activities, (xxvi) International Trade and Labour Program (ITLP) Grants for Technical Assistance and Foreign-Based Cooperative Activities, (xxvii) International Trade and Labour Program (ITLP) International Labour Institutions in which Canada Participates Grants, (xxviii) Labour-Management Partnership Program, (xxix) Labour Market Agreements, (xxx) Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities, (xxxi) Labour Market Development Agreements, (xxxii) Labour Mobility, (xxxiii) New Horizons for Seniors Program, (xxxiv) Occupational Health and Safety, (xxxv) Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities, (xxxvi) Organizations that Write Occupational Health and Safety Standards, (xxxvii) Sector Council Program, (xxxviii) Skills and Partnership Fund-Aboriginal, (xxxix) Skills Link (Youth Employment Strategy Program), (xl) Small Project Component (Enabling Accessibility Fund), (xli) Social Development Partnerships Program-Children and Families, (xlii) Social Development Partnerships Program-Disability Component, (xliii) Surplus Federal Real Property for Homelessness Initiative, (xliv) Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, (xlv) Technical Assistance and Foreign-Based Cooperative Activities Grants (International Trade and Labour Program), (xlvi) Work-Sharing, (xlvii) Youth Awareness, (xlviii) Youth Employment Strategy-Canada Summer Jobs, (xlix) Youth Employment Strategy-Career Focus, (l) Youth Employment Strategy-Federal Public Service Youth Internship Program, (li) Youth Employment Strategy-Skills Link?
Response
(Return tabled)

Question No. 841--
Ms. Rathika Sitsabaiesan:
With regard to applications received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) since December 2011: (a) broken down by visa office, (i) how many Parent and Grandparent Super Visa applications have been received, (ii) how many applications for the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa have been denied, (iii) how many applications for the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa have been approved; (b) broken down by visa office, (i) how many family class Permanent Residency applications have been withdrawn, (ii) how many family class Permanent Residency applications have been finalized; (c) broken down by visa office, how many officers work on Parent and Grandparent Super Visa applications; (d) since December 2011, (i) how much money has been spent on advertising and promotion of the Super Visa program abroad, (ii) in which countries is the Super Visa being promoted; (e) has Citizenship and Immigration Canada encountered any problems or complaints concerning the Super Visa and, if so, what were these complaints and where were they located; (f) has Citizenship and Immigration Canada received any complaints concerning the exclusion of the dependent children of parents and grandparents from the Super Visa; and (g) does Citizenship and Immigration Canada foresee the inclusion of dependent children in the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa?
Response
(Return tabled)

Question No. 842--
Ms. Chris Charlton:
With regard to Service Canada Old Age Security and Canadian Pension Plan call centres for fiscal years 2006-2007 through 2012-2013 (year-to-date): (a) what was the volume of calls broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (b) what was the number of calls that received a high volume message broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (c) what were the national Service Level standards for calls answered by an agent broken down by year; (d) what were the actual Service Level standards achieved for calls answered by an agent broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (e) what were the service standards for call backs broken down by year; (f) what were the service standards achieved for call backs broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (g) what was the average number of days for a call back by an agent, broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; and (h) what was the number and percentage of term employees and the number and percentage of indeterminate employees, broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month?
Response
(Return tabled)

Question No. 843--
Ms. Chris Charlton:
With regard to Employment Insurance (EI) for fiscal years 2006-2007 through 2012-2013 (year-to-date): (a) what was the volume of EI applications broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province where claim originated, (iii) region/province where claim was processed, (iv) the number of claims accepted and the number of claims rejected, (v) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (b) what was the average EI applications processing time broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province where claim originated, (iii) region/province where claim was processed, (iv) the number of claims accepted and the number of claims rejected, (v) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (c) how many applications waited more than 28 days for a decision and, for these applications, what was the average wait time for a decision, broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province where claim originated, (iii) region/province where claim was processed, (iv) the number of claims accepted and the number of claims rejected, (v) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (d) what was the volume of calls to EI call centres broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (e) what was the number of calls to EI call centres that received a high volume message broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (f) what were the national service level standards for calls answered by an agent at EI call centres broken down by year; (g) what were the actual service level standards achieved by EI call centres for calls answered by an agent at EI call centres, broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (h) what were the service standards for call backs by EI call centre agents broken down by year; (i) what were the service standards achieved by EI call centre agents for call backs broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (j) what was the average number of days for a call back by an EI call centre agent, broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (k) for EI processing centres, what was the number and percentage of term employees and the number and percentage of indeterminate employees, broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (l) for EI call centres, what was the number and percentage of term employees and the number and percentage of indeterminate employees, broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (m) how many complaints did the Office of Client Satisfaction receive, broken down by (i) year, (ii) region/province where the complaint originated, (iii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; (n) how long on average did a complaint take to investigate and resolve, broken down by (i) year, (ii) for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, by month; and (o) what were the major themes of the complaints received, broken down by year?
Response
(Return tabled)

Question No. 844--
Mr. Rodger Cuzner:
With respect to the increase in the age eligibility for Old Age security (OAS) and the government's contention that it was necessary for the long-term sustainability of the program: (a) what is the measure that the government uses to determine the sustainability level for OAS; (b) what does the government consider OAS sustainability in terms of (i) maximum dollar figure per year expended on OAS, (ii) maximum percentage of the government's annual budget expended on OAS, (iii) maximum percentage of annual GDP spent on OAS; (c) what are the details, including dates and file numbers, of all studies the government has undertaken in determining that the OAS age of eligibility needed to be raised; (d) what is the expected saving in each year from 2023 to 2029 as a result of the increase in age of eligibility, detailing the assumptions included in these calculations, including annual inflation rate; (e) were any other options studied to ensure sustainability of OAS, and if so, what are the details, including dates and file numbers of these options and or studies and why they were not chosen; (f) how many individuals will not be eligible for (i) OAS, (ii) Guaranteed Income Support (GIS) in each year from 2023 to 2029 as a result of the increase in age of eligibility; (g) how many individuals will be eligible for (i) OAS, (ii) GIS, in each year from 2023 to 2029 as a result of the increase in age of eligibility; (h) given OAS and GIS are fully funded from general revenues, was the government anticipating deficits in years 2023 to 2029 and beyond as a reason to decrease OAS and GIS costs, and if so, how large were the anticipated deficits for these years and will the change in age of eligibility eliminate these deficits; (i) what is rationale for choosing 2023 as the year to start implementing the age eligibility increase; and (j) who was consulted, including public and private stakeholder groups, and when on the age of eligibility change?
Response
(Return tabled)
View Yvon Godin Profile
NDP (NB)
Mr. Speaker, when I see people at Canada Post losing their jobs at a call centre and the government creating jobs with independent private sector groups where people are paid $12 an hour, that is a hit to the workers. The government closed down a call centre in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Individuals were being paid over $20. The government opened one in Bathurst where people earn $12 an hour.
Canada Post was ready to give its employees a 2% increase. The government passed a bill, and that member voted for it, giving them a 1.5% increase.
What did the workers do to the government that makes it hate them so much? It is unbelievable.
Look at the pension plan in France right now. Instead of raising the age to 67, the government brought it down to 60. We can see the difference. There is a difference because that government has a conscience when it comes to the people. The Conservative government does not have a conscience when it comes to the people. You just drive a bulldozer over all of them and you will pay a price very soon for that.
View Jack Harris Profile
NDP (NL)
View Jack Harris Profile
2012-06-06 15:34 [p.8942]
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present this opposition day motion on behalf of my party, seconded by the member for New Westminster—Coquitlam, who has taken a great interest in this matter and of course is extremely familiar with the local circumstances in the area of Vancouver and indeed of all of British Columbia.
I am dealing with three different closures here, and we will have speakers going into detail on each of them. My riding of St. John's East is very near to the marine rescue coordinating centre in St. John's. There is one in Quebec City, and the member for Québec will speak to that issue a little later. In dealing with the Kitsilano Coast Guard station in British Columbia, we will also hear directly from the member for New Westminster—Coquitlam.
I should say that I am splitting my time with the member for New Westminster—Coquitlam.
I will take a moment to first of all to sadly acknowledge the deaths of two Coast Guard auxiliary volunteers who died on Sunday in British Columbia at the Skookumchuck Narrows in the Sunshine Coast, near the entrance to Sechelt Island. They were engaged in a training mission and, very sadly, lost their lives when their boat capsized. It is with great sadness that we acknowledge this and pass on our sympathies to the families and friends of those involved who, acting as volunteers, took great risks and unfortunately and sadly lost their lives in this incident.
What we are dealing with here underscores the great seriousness with which search and rescue should be taken and needs to be taken by the government. The motion is aimed at urging the government to recognize that the saving of lives has to be the top priority for the Coast Guard search and rescue services, and the closure of these three operations merely to save the cost of 36 jobs—12 in St. John's, 12 in Quebec City and 12 in Kitsilano Coast Guard station—is gross neglect of the top priority of the Coast Guard services.
Sad to say, the government and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans have downplayed the importance of these operations when, for example, the issue of the marine rescue coordinating centre in St. John's and Quebec was talked about in terms of the vital necessity of having operations located where the coordinators of these rescues were engaged in local knowledge of the people at sea, the geography of the area, and in both cases, understanding directly the people and the communities they are dealing with.
In the case of Quebec City, the language is French, but it is not simply the French language: it is the language of French as it is spoken in that specific area. I am obviously not an expert in the French dialects of Quebec, but I am given to understand that people in Quebec do not all speak the same version of French or the same dialect, and it takes some experience, knowledge and understanding to get what is being said.
I do know that in my own province of Newfoundland and Labrador, not everybody speaks English the same way I or others do. We have been told by the marine rescue coordinators that it is very difficult sometimes to understand what is being said, even though they know the accents and the dialects and how people speak in one part of the province and another. They sometimes have to play the emergency tapes several times to catch what someone is saying, because they understand that in a rescue situation, an emergency situation at sea, people are panicked. They are worried about losing their lives and speak based on their panic and their need to get out what they have to say. Understanding them at the other end takes that kind of local knowledge.
They also know the coastline that they are dealing with. They know the geography. They know there are one or two dozen seal coves in Newfoundland. They use clues to figure out where they are. Understanding the place names is very complex in a place like Newfoundland and Labrador. They are people with that experience, and that is why they are there.
In the case of Newfoundland and Labrador, the marine rescue co-ordinating centre handles about 500 rescues per year. There are about 2,000 calls, 500 of which are actual at-sea situations of peril. They are the coordinators.
The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, incomprehensibly, kept referring to them as call centres, as if they were some sort of call centres that could be outsourced to Italy, or India, which is where unfortunately certain medical calls were outsourced after the centre closed in April.
It is not a call centre. It is a rescue co-ordinating centre with trained people who are mariners. They have experience at sea. They know the Coast Guard ships that are involved. They know what assets are available. They are dedicated to making sure that rescues are effectively co-ordinated.
In fact, when the defence committee was in St. John's in February 2010 as part of a study on search and rescue, we visited this marine rescue co-ordinating centre and were told directly by national Coast Guard officials the reason the centre was there. By the way, the Quebec centre and the St. John's centre were installed in 1977 for this reason. They are there because of the necessity of local knowledge, such as the circumstances of the currents, the geography, the people and the language. It was important enough to make sure those centres were there.
In the case of British Columbia, and my colleague from New Westminster—Coquitlam will talk about that in some detail, there are 12 people who provide direct rescue services 24 hours a day. They will be in a rescue cutter within one to two minutes of a call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. That is being replaced.
The minister said that we do not need to worry about that because the Coast Guard auxiliary are going to look after it. The coast guard auxiliary is miles away. I spoke to some of the individuals who work at this station. There are three on duty at any one time. They provide 24-hour service. They are in the water within one to two minutes.
To get to that very same point, the Coast Guard auxiliary would take about 40 minutes after receiving a call. There is another station on the other side of the peninsula by the airport, but it is 17 nautical miles away.
That service is being provided. My colleague will provide a lot of numbers. We heard them at a meeting in British Columbia last Thursday. We heard the passion with which people spoke. They said that lives would be lost. It is the same message we are hearing from Newfoundland and Labrador, from those who know the circumstances.
There was a letter to the editor written by a former minister of fisheries in the Conservative government, James McGrath, my predecessor in St. John's East. He was complaining about this decision, how wrong it is and how it will increase the risk at sea and possibly lead to the loss of life.
It is an extremely important issue in the communities of Newfoundland and Labrador where we rely on the sea to make a living, where we have ferry boats sailing all the time. There are half a million passenger trips between St. John's and Bell Island on a ferry boat. There is the gulf ferry service. People go back and forth to the oil rigs daily and hourly. There are thousands of fishermen at sea working on boats 24 hours a day all throughout the year.
This is an extremely important service. There will be a reduction of that service. With those three operations going, there were six rescue coordinators available to do the work for this huge area of responsibility, which includes Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. Now there will be three people to do the job. That is not enough. It is very complex. It involves life-and-death decisions being made all the time.
This decision has to be and ought to be reversed for the sake of the lives and safety of the people who need this service.
View Thomas Mulcair Profile
NDP (QC)
View Thomas Mulcair Profile
2012-05-10 14:23 [p.7879]
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative cuts are putting the security of Canadians at risk, plainly and simply.
I have another example. Just days after the closure of the maritime search and rescue centre in St. John's, we find out that medical emergency calls made from waters off Newfoundland and Labrador are now being routed to a call centre in Italy. Callers report being connected to doctors who cannot even understand them. That is a net result of Conservative cuts. Public safety is being put at risk.
Could the Prime Minister tell the House how long the lives of people will be put in danger before the government corrects the situation?
View Stephen Harper Profile
CPC (AB)
Mr. Speaker, because the NDP decided to oppose and try to block the budget a few minutes after it was tabled, that party has not bothered to look into these matters.
In the case the hon. member mentions, there is no change to procedure here. The first response to these calls has always been to medical facilities in Halifax. There is backup in case those calls are backed up. That has been the case and that will continue to be the case.
View Bob Rae Profile
Lib. (ON)
View Bob Rae Profile
2012-05-10 14:24 [p.7880]
Mr. Speaker, on that particular score, surely the Prime Minister is not denying the fact that Mr. Rideout, in calling about the health of his father, was routed to a doctor in Rome. The doctor in Rome did not know where the call was coming from and wanted to know what kind of fishing was going on. Mr. Rideout was so frustrated he hung up the phone, came back and phoned the CBC about the rerouting that had taken place.
Why would the Prime Minister stand in his place and give the House false information with respect to the situation of the--
View Keith Ashfield Profile
CPC (NB)
View Keith Ashfield Profile
2012-05-10 14:25 [p.7880]
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Coast Guard and the Department of National Defence have provided radio medical service to mariners in Atlantic Canada through service providers in Halifax for many years, and we continue to do so.
As in the past, an internationally recognized service provider has been used in the event that backup is required.
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