Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I bring this motion forward because I believe strongly that there needs to be a search and rescue base north of 60. I’ve lived in the North over 40 years, and as long as I’ve been here, Northerners have been talking about the need for a search and rescue base in the North.
All Northerners from the High Arctic to the 60th parallel are a long way from any dedicated rescue facility. Unlike southern Canada, a Northerner in distress or lost on the land is literally many hours away from the beginning of a search and rescue operation, and the further north the emergency, the longer it takes for a search party or rescue team to get to the search area.
Our land is vast up here and our climate is harsh. It only makes sense to locate a search and rescue base closer to the huge land mass that is the North.
There are three search and rescue regions in Canada. At this time, NWT is part of the Trenton rescue region, the largest rescue region of the three, and we are serviced by a Canadian Forces base in Trenton, Ontario, three provinces away and a long way south. We are the area of Canada furthest removed from the nearest search and rescue base. The Yukon is served by Victoria. Much of Nunavut is served by Halifax. We are served by Trenton in southern Ontario.
Not many people up here to get into trouble you say? That’s true. Our population is small, but we Northerners deserve the same standard of service as Southerners. As well, many, many people fly over our heads every day of the year. Since 1998, increasing numbers of aircraft are using a polar route to travel from North America to Asia and vice versa. Airlines have recognized that travelling over the top is the most efficient route in terms of both time and fuel. It’s estimated that some 11,000 passengers a day pass over the North via one of the four polar air routes.
Should just one of these airliners go down, 300 to 350 people will be at grave risk, unprepared for the cold and the isolation, and many hours from any help. The number of airline flights is only increasing every year, putting more and more people at risk every year. A search and rescue base in the North would get to these downed passengers much
faster. It would mean fewer lives at risk, fewer lives lost.
Northerners, by our very nature, like to spend a lot of time on the land. Many tourists and visitors to our territory are also outdoor enthusiasts. It is, unfortunately, all too common for hikers, hunters, travellers on the land to have mechanical difficulties, to lose their way or otherwise get into trouble. Why should Northerners be at greater risk to life and limb than Southerners just because a search and rescue base is a long way off?
As Premier McLeod stated at the recent announcement by Discovery Air/Airbus Military:
“Ensuring the safety of our people, particularly when they are travelling on the land, sea or rivers, is a key part of sustaining our communities and Canada’s presence in the North. Residents and visitors need to be confident that if an emergency arises, they will receive protection and support.”
Northerners can be much more confident of that protection with a search and rescue base in the North.
Also at that same announcement, Brian Semkowski, the chief executive officer of Discovery Air, stated: “By basing aircraft in the North and designating them as dedicated SAR assets, we believe Canada will be in an excellent position to respond to incidents in the North.”
The bottom line is that in an emergency, especially in our northern winter, every second counts. This motion asks the House to petition Canada to establish a search and rescue base north of 60. I hope all Members agree with me that it is time to make that change, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favour of this motion. Thank you.