Liberals Condemn Hollow Conservative Announcement, Continue Fight to Fix Search and Rescue

May 2, 2013

OTTAWA– Liberals today condemned the Conservative government’s hollow announcement on Search and Rescue (SAR) and vowed to continue to fight to fix Canada’s struggling SAR system.

“Yet again, we have a Conservative announcement that is nothing more than window dressing,” said Liberal Fisheries and Oceans critic Lawrence MacAulay. “What we need is action now. That is why the Liberals are putting forward motions in two committees to immediately study this issue and propose solutions before Parliament rises for the summer.”

The Liberal Party has sent notice of motion to the House of Commons committees on National Defence and Fisheries and Oceans to study Chapter 7 of the Auditor General’s Spring 2013 Report, which examines problems with Canada’s SAR system. If passed, the committees would hear from the AG, the Ministers responsible for SAR and frontline SAR personnel, and present a report with recommendations to Parliament by June 2013.

“What is increasingly clear is that our SAR system simply does not have the personnel, equipment, information management system and overall federal policy needed to do its job effectively and protect Canadian lives,” said Liberal Defence critic John McKay. “Canadians are tired of this government’s empty platitudes, reviews and photo-ops. It is time for concrete action – like re-opening the Maritime Rescue Sub-centre in St. John’s and the Kitsilano Coast Guard Base in Vancouver, moving quickly to acquire new planes and immediately addressing the other problems outlined by the Auditor General this week.”

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Background:

The Liberal motion submitted to the House of Commons Committee on Fisheries and Oceans can be viewed here.

The Liberal motion submitted to the House of Commons Committee on National Defence can be viewed here.