Statement made on 05 February 2009 by Senator Tommy Banks (retired)
Hon. Tommy Banks:
Honourable senators, I expect that the minister will take my question as notice because it is specific. In answer to Senator Adams' question about icebreakers in the North, the leader said there were seven icebreakers in the area between, let us say, Ungava and Halifax. The first part of my question is: How many of those icebreakers were operating in what we commonly regard as the Northwest Passage or the Canadian Arctic Archipelago?
Second, in answering Senator Adams' question, the leader talked about the construction of new ships for the Coast Guard, including a heavy duty icebreaker. That welcome commitment was made by this government a couple of years ago. Will the leader undertake to determine the stage of planning and construction, for example, in respect to whether a keel has been laid for such a vessel?
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