I would like to thank the Auditor General for the excellent work she and her
team have done to report on the many challenges facing the Canadian Coast Guard.
Today’s report articulates very well many of the same concerns that I had raised
personally during my years on the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans prior
to becoming Minister.
The Coast Guard is an important national institution, and the past government
did not provide the leadership necessary to ensure the dedicated men and women who
serve within the organization had the resources necessary to do their job.
It is a credit to the dedicated men and women who serve within the organization
that the Coast Guard has remained strong in spite of these challenges. For example,
they are successful in over 98% of all search and rescue missions, which should
be a source of great comfort and pride for all Canadians.
While I cannot – and will not – make excuses for things that have happened in
the past, I am completely accountable for actions taken over the past year, and
for those that will be taken for as long as I am Minister.
One of my top priorities as Minister was to bring stability to both the budget
and infrastructure of the Coast Guard. Budget 2006 contained $276 million towards
renewing the Coast Guard fleet, and we are in the process of procuring 10 new vessels
at this time.
We added $45 million of new money to the Coast Guard’s annual budget, to ensure
that there was money in place for maintenance, fuel, and other operational costs.
The problems cannot all be traced to funding, however. The Auditor General’s
report identified problems caused by what seems to be a resistance to change within
the corporate culture of the Coast Guard.
While change can be difficult for any organization, those of us serving the public
are accountable to ensure we adopt new systems and policies that maximize the use
of Canadians’ hard-earned tax dollars. Accountability is the hallmark of our new
government, and operations within the Coast Guard are no exception to this.
Last September our government named a new Commissioner of the Coast Guard. I
have made it crystal clear to both him and the Deputy Minister of my department
that progress must be made on the recommendations made by the Auditor General.
They are responding by submitting a realistic plan that will get results. Senior
officials in leadership positions within the Canadian Coast Guard will now have
their annual performance pay tied to whether or not tangible progress has been made.
The Coast Guard serves Canadians from coast to coast to coast with excellence.
They help assert our sovereignty in the North, fight overfishing off the Nose and
Tail of the Grand Banks in the Atlantic, help protect our border on the Great Lakes,
and routinely put their lives at risk conducting search and rescue off the British
Columbia coast.
Canadians are proud of their Coast Guard, and rightly so.
But a healthy pride in a job well done should never lead to faulty thinking that
things cannot improve.
Work began to strengthen the Coast Guard on February 6, 2006 when I began my
job as Minister. Canadians should rest assured that this work continues today, and
will continue as long as they allow us the privilege of serving in government.
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