Today, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport, issued this statement on a report published by the Office of the Auditor General on the Government of Canada's efforts related to the surveillance of Arctic waters:
"The Government of Canada agrees with the findings and recommendations in the Auditor General's report and will take steps to address them.
"We are committed to working with our partners to address long-standing gaps in Arctic maritime domain awareness, particularly the continuous tracking of vessels and identification of non-emitting vessels and to improving information sharing to ensure our Arctic waters are safe and secure.
"Canada's maritime domain awareness in the Arctic is critical to ensuring the country can mitigate risks and respond to incidents that may impact our security, safety, environment, and economy.
"To support that awareness and Canada's federal presence in the Arctic as a whole, the Government of Canada will continue important work with its partners to provide the equipment, infrastructure, assets, and capabilities necessary to support our maritime security interests in the region.
We will also improve key equipment used for maritime surveillance in the Arctic by considering options for acquiring equipment in a timelier manner and developing contingency plans to address the risk posed by critical equipment failure."
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