Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, under the directorate I noticed the emergency measures organization, which assists communities to develop their capability to respond to civil emergencies and co-ordinates GNWT involvement in emergency operations ERS is going to be lost at the airport in Iqaluit because of federal regulations having caused fiscal changes within the government. However, there still needs to be a capability of reacting to incidents at the airport under EMO. I asked the Minister earlier about the funding through EMO to help train our emergency volunteer fire department so if they need to do this, they would be able to respond to incidents at the airport. Also, the equipment at the airport needs to be upgraded at a cost of $260,000. I wonder if the Minister has had any update on this matter, because I have had several phone calls and faxes and e-mails from my community. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We are just preparing a reply. I had taken the question as notice two days ago. I am going to let Vern Christensen, my ADM, answer that. We are preparing a reply to his oral question. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Our present training programs for fire fighters and our programs for the purchase of fire fighting equipment do not include training for response to crash fires at airports. The training is directed at the suppression of structural fires, not fires that might occur when aircraft fires occur at the airport operations. The department is reviewing the matter with the Department of Transportation and will be developing a more comprehensive response of approaches that should be taken to deal with those kinds of situations in communities like Iqaluit. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, under emergency measures, EMO helps communities develop the capability to respond to civil emergencies. It also co-ordinates the GNWT involvement in emergency operations. A crash at an airport, to me, would be a civil emergency and would mean GNWT would have to be involved. I would expect that EMO would be doing that. I understand the training is needed for our volunteers and the issue here, Madam Chair, is the liability. If our volunteer fire department goes to the airport to respond after March 31st and they do not have the ability or the training to take on an aircraft, there could be a liability if one of our volunteer fire fighters are injured at the site because he did not have the specialized training he needed. If the volunteer fire department responds and there is a problem, it could also be liable. Then that means the town is liable. It is a very serious concern. I understand the training available is at Duluth, Minnesota, because when I brought this up before after the CF-18 crash this past summer, we had to send some of our people for training in Duluth. If, after they have been studying this in Duluth, Minnesota or a similar place, is that what the Minister and the department is telling me, they need to do specialized training outside the territories? Is there a possibility of bringing someone to deliver the specialized training in the territories? Is that part of the delay because I have not seen the response?

Thank you, Madam Chair. The EMO staff is preparing a response to the Member's statement and also questions and as soon as I get their recommendations, I will be bringing that forward to the Member. We are responding to his statements and questions. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Yes, just a comment that I appreciate that. I wonder if the Minister and her staff could tell me when the response will be available because the House ends sitting next Thursday and I go back home. The ERS is pulled out on March 31st so we can see that it is a timing situation and because I have said before, for lack of a better word, there is just bad karma at that airport and I am sure that on April 1 or ten days later if something happens, then someone will have to be responsible. I just want to make sure that I am on record today, if the House is not sitting until May. It is a very serious concern. I would ask the Minister and the department when they think their response will be coming to me, so I can relay the response to the community, which is quite worried at this time.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Even if the Member is in Iqaluit, we can still respond and communicate with him. It

does not mean that just because he is not here, we will not be able to communicate with him. We will communicate with him as soon as possible. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Agreed.

Agreed.

Agreed.