February 16, 2011
MP lands in national
headlines
by Terry Myers
She's been there before,
and she was there again.
Local MP Cheryl Gallant made national headlines last week for comments
about search and rescue efforts off the coasts of Newfoundland and
Labrador.
During a meeting of the House of Commons national defence committee in
St. John's, Gallant told the audience that communities need to take
more responsibility for their own members.
"In Ontario we have inland seas, the Great Lakes, and it would never
occur to any of us, even up in the Ottawa River, to count on the Coast
Guard to come and help us," she said.
"I know it would be ideal to have the federal government be there in
the 30-minute response time 24 hours a day, but in practicality, we do
have to pool our resources."
Gallant's comments ignited controversy, with Liberal MPs from
Newfoundland demanding an apology.
“These comments are insensitive and make absolutely no sense,” said
Scott Andrews, Liberal MP for Avalon.
“While community rescue efforts by provinces and municipalities can
accomplish a lot, the resources of the Coast Guard are key to the
people who live along our coastlines and more must be done to improve
rescue response times.”
“Having served on Parliament’s defence committee for more than a
decade, Ms. Gallant should have a greater appreciation for the
responsibilities of the Coast Guard,” added Judy Foote, Liberal MP for
Random-Burin-St. George's.
“The words of a veteran Conservative MP remind us yet again of the lack
of respect and appreciation the Harper Conservatives have for
Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Local critics were also quick to respond.
Independent candidate Hec Clouthier said Gallant's “lack of knowledge”
regarding the role of the Coast Guard was “breathtaking.”
“Her statement that the Coast Guard does not monitor and provide search
and rescue for the Great Lakes and the Ottawa River is simply not true.
The Coast Guard has a definite presence on both these bodies of water,”
he said.
Clouthier said it’s “particularly regrettable” for Gallant to lecture
the people of Newfoundland and Labrador about their search and rescue
capabilities, and to suggest to them that they pay for it themselves.
“To lecture relatives, friends and neighbours of those who lost loved
ones in (a) terrible helicopter crash is insensitive, hurtful and
downright rude.”
Local Liberal candidate Christine Tabbert agreed.
“It is beyond tasteless to debase the honest, hard work of men and
women who earn their living at the mercy of the cruelties of the north
Atlantic Ocean, some of the most punishing waters in the world,
particularly in front of their grieving families,” she said.
Tabbert said it makes no more sense to expect fisheries workers to pay
for search and rescue than to expect miners to find their own way out
of a collapsed mine or a forester to hire her own helicopter to be
evacuated from the bush.
“Even though we are a large country, we are united by our values, and
those values include looking after one another,” she said.
“Our MP is the face of our riding on the national stage. Remarks like
these cause other Canadians to lose a little more esteem for
Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke each time they are made. As the Ottawa
Citizen noted, 10 years is a long time to still be showing such poor
judgement.”
At first, Gallant said her comments were “misconstrued.”
"The point I was trying to make was in areas of Ontario we are so far
removed from the coast guard that we rely on the pooling of resources
at all levels to come in an emergency situation," she told the Ottawa
Citizen.
"It was not intended to be taken the way it was and I do regret that
they took the way it was."
She later offered “further clarification” in a statement from her
Ottawa office.
"I want to offer my humble and heartfelt apologies for remarks made
regarding search and rescue services,” she said.
“I have the utmost respect and appreciation for Canadians that make
their living from the sea and in no way intended to minimize the
dangers they face on a daily basis."
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