Keith Ashfield

[The Environment, May 9th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Coast Guard continues to work closely with its federal partners to address the threat of marine pollution from this particular wreck. The Canadian Coast Guard has been on scene since it was reported on March 31. The Canadian Coast Guard will continue to actively monitor the situation and is assessing the best approach for reducing the pollution threat.

[Fisheries and Oceans, May 9th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank both the member for Winnipeg South Centre and the member for Kenora for their continued hard work on this file.

I am pleased to announce that we have just signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, an internationally renowned public policy research institute. This agreement is an important step for the future operations of ELA and will allow us to support research projects during the upcoming summer season. Our government looks forward to working with IISD on the future of this facility.

[Search and Rescue, May 9th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is wrong, as usual. We are confident that the changes in Vancouver have not had any negative impact. In fact, since the closure of the Kitsilano base on February 19, the Canadian Coast Guard on Sea Island has responded to 38 search and rescue maritime distress incidents in the greater Vancouver area. These incidents involved 48 lives at risk and the reaction time was less than 10 minutes in each of those incidents.

[Search and Rescue, May 9th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we closed the sub-centre in St. John's a year ago, and the facility in Halifax has been handling the work quite well. We have had no problems with the service at all.

[Search and Rescue, May 9th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we are making: a responsible decision. The Canadian Coast Guard will delay consolidation of the eastern portion of the Quebec region until it is competent in the bilingual capacity of the system.

[Search and Rescue, May 9th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we have always been clear that safety is our number one priority, and certainly language capability is very important for the centre in Quebec.

We are not going to comment on speculation. The safety of mariners remains our top priority. The Canadian Coast Guard will delay consolidation of the eastern portion of the Quebec region until it is confident that a bilingual capacity is there in the system.

[Fisheries and Oceans, May 8th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would have thought there would have been a more responsible question from the member opposite than the one just posed.

It has been this government that has invested over $60 million in the last three years to help the industry with improved marketing, innovation, products and technology.

The member knows full well that DFO does not set the price of lobster at the wharf. That is market driven. Of course, the processors are subject to the rules of the provinces.

[Tourism Industry, May 8th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, safety is our primary concern. Our engineering assessments have deemed that the wharf at Percé is unsafe to both pedestrians and vehicles.

As part of our non-core fishing harbours divestiture program, the municipality and the province have been approached several times over the last number of years to see if they are interested in acquiring the wharf at Percé. To date, there has been no interest.

[Lobster Industry, May 8th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, no other government has provided more support for the lobster fishery industry than this one. We have helped ensure a more sustainable future for the industry over the past few years. We invested $60 million to help the industry with things like improved marketing and promotion, products and technology.

The member opposite knows full well that it is not the responsibility of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to set the pricing. That is market driven. The processors are under provincial responsibility.

[Tourism Industry, May 7th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I know the member opposite is fully aware what the role of the small craft harbour is and our primary focus is core harbour fishing wharves. There are approximately three full-time fishermen using the harbour in Percé, about $250,000 worth of landed value a year. The primary purpose of the wharf is for tourism.