Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A couple of weeks ago I had an opportunity to attend an exciting announcement made by Discovery Air in conjunction with Spanish-based Airbus Military. Discovery Air and Airbus Military will be presenting a proposal to the Government of Canada for fixed-wing search and rescue, SAR, north of 60. There are currently only three SAR bases in Canada: Victoria, Trenton and Halifax. All three are a long way from most of northern Canada.
The need for a SAR base located in the North has long been recognized by Northerners. Our vast, uninhabited expanses and extreme climates puts anyone lost in the Arctic in great danger. The proposal from Discovery Air and Airbus to replace Canada’s aging fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft will locate a SAR base in Yellowknife, in the North. No longer will we have to wait up to five hours for a plane to arrive in the North to begin the search. With a northern SAR base, the search can begin immediately.
The benefits of this proposal are many: reduced search time; an economic boost to the North; solidification of Canada’s claim to northern sovereignty, and that’s a phrase we hear very often from Ottawa.
Since 1998, increasing numbers of aircraft are using the polar route to travel from North America to Asia and vice versa. Data from United Airlines for 2009 indicates that over 8,500 flights used one of the four polar routes. Assuming 10 percent growth per year and 350 passengers per flight, in 2012 some 11,000 passengers’ lives are at risk as they fly over our heads every day. Are they prepared to survive in our climate? Are they wearing boots and parkas? We all know that’s not the case. Instead, they’re dressed in shorts and sneakers for the climate they left in Los Angeles, for instance, or for the climate they’re expecting at the end of their journey.
If any one of these flights experiences difficulties and crashes in the North, every extra minute spent finding them will put lives in danger. A base in the North will save lives: airline passengers’ lives and our own northern residents’ lives. We spend a lot of time on the land and it’s not uncommon for travellers to run into trouble and become stranded. SAR close at hand will mean our people are found faster, fewer lives at risk, fewer lives lost.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
The North needs a search and rescue base located in the North. This Discovery Air/Airbus Military joint bid is good for Yellowknifers, good for Northerners, and good for all Canadians. All NWT politicians and leaders should support the Discovery Air/Airbus Military proposal. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
