Thank you, Madam Chairperson. Madam Chairperson, Mr. Evaloarjuk's question is part of the reason I was asking the Minister yesterday as to the department's involvement now in search and rescue. As Mr. Evaloarjuk was trying to point out, the RCMP have a 24-hour waiting period in place before they will send any of their aircraft up, or at their expense. I think what he was trying to find out was whether or not MACA or whoever is running this search and rescue program would have a different policy whereby aircraft would be able to be sent out right away. My point here is that this is to some degree causing a lot of confusion in the communities as to who is responsible any more for what.
I do not understand why all of a sudden, MACA pondered that they had to take over search and rescue programs. They were being run by the hunters and trappers. They were being implemented through the Rangers. I do not understand why MACA now sees it as they have to have it under their mandate. Obviously, at some point in time, somebody is going to ask MACA to pay the costs because they implemented the program and therefore, they should bear the cost. We all know that search and rescue does not necessarily apply just to the communities. Search and Rescue involves tourists and everybody else who gets lost.
This whole concept of search and rescue under MACA mandate, I question that because I always understood MACA's responsibility was within the municipal boundaries. I think we are overloading MACA with all this stuff. My own personal opinion is that, I do not know, even if MACA says we take on the responsibility and we are just hoping by doing this we establish that the hamlet would put together the program of search and rescue. Then we have to take into consideration that the hamlets are already getting overworked with programs as well, whether they have adequate staff to put all these plans together.
I believe the emergency response plan, as such, was strictly applicable to municipal boundaries. I do not understand. Perhaps the Minister could give me some clarification how this responsibility ever got passed on to them how is it affecting them and where did it come from? Whose responsibility was it before? Thank you, Madam Chairperson.