AG Confirms Conservatives Mismanage Search and Rescue Putting Lives at Risk

April 30, 2013

OTTAWA– The Auditor General’s (AG) Spring 2013 Report clearly confirms that the Conservative government’s mismanagement of Search and Rescue (SAR) is endangering Canadian lives, said Liberals today.

“This report validates what Liberals have been saying all along: under this government, our air and marine SAR system is in crisis and requires ‘significant improvements’ if we’re going to keep Canadians safe,” said Liberal Defence critic John McKay. “The AG shows that not only should we be concerned about the sustainability of SAR over the coming years, but that that our Air Force and Coast Guard do not have the staff and equipment needed to do their jobs effectively.”

Chapter 7 of the AG’s report details the significant challenges facing SAR operations due to personnel shortages, an aging fleet of SAR vessels, airplanes and helicopters, and an information management system that is “nearing its breaking point.” Furthermore, the AG finds that there is no overarching federal policy or governance framework for the national SAR program.

“Canadians will not soon forget the death of 14-year-old Burton Winters of Makkovik, Labrador and this Conservative government’s failure to call a public inquiry into how Canada’s SAR system failed the teenager who succumbed to hypothermia waiting to be rescued,” said Liberal Fisheries and Oceans critic Lawrence MacAulay. “Instead of irresponsibly using SAR helicopters to be picked up from vacation, Defence Minister MacKay and this Conservative government need to re-adjust their dangerously misplaced priorities, and take the substantive action required to safeguard Canadians living and working in our coastal communities.”