Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. On Wednesday, November 27, 1996, the member for Natilikmiot asked me about the grounding, this summer, of the M.V. Hanseatic in the Simpson strait off King William island and Gjoa Haven. The member was correct that the jurisdiction over marine affairs belongs entirely to the federal government and does not involve the territorial Department of Transportation. Regardless of the legal jurisdiction, the incident took place in northern waters and northerners have every interest in knowing what happened. The Hanseatic went aground on the Simpson strait on August 29th and was caught there until the Canadian coast guard pulled her off on September 5th. Fortunately no serious consequences came of the grounding. No passengers or crew were injured and there was no loss of fuel or any other type of contaminants. It is still too soon to answer the member's question on the cause of the accident.
There are no fewer than four investigations in progress today. Transport Canada is investigating to determine, first of all, whether the accident involved any regulatory violations or infractions, and secondly, if there were any violations, whether prosecution is warranted. Transport Canada should finish this investigation early in the new year. The Canadian Transport Accidents Investigation Safety Board is examining the accident to identify the conditions and circumstances that led to it. Due to the nature of its investigation, the Transportation Safety Board typically does not come out with its final report and recommendations until a year or more after the event. The Hanseatic is registered in the Bahamas and therefore the Commonwealth of Bahamas is conducting its own investigation into the incident. The Federal Republic of Germany is also investigating the incident because the Hanseatic is owned by a German company and officers in charge of the ship, as well as, most of the passengers were German. I do not know when the findings from these investigations will be available, Mr. Speaker.
We will probably find the report from the Transportation Safety Board the most informative and we will simply have to wait for it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.