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Volunteer search-and-rescue withers as Tories twist over auditor’s report
OTTAWA – An association of search-and-rescue volunteers is struggling to stay alive as the Conservative government faces more pressure in the wake of this week’s auditor general report.
Michael Ferguson warned some elements of the joint military and coast guard system are near the breaking point.
Harry Blackmore, president of the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada, says he hopes the report will light a fire under the government because the issue hasn’t been taken seriously.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay turned aside Opposition questions in the House of Commons today, saying work has already begun on the issue.
The auditor’s report recommends the federal government put more into prevention programs, but Blackmore says his group of 10,000 volunteers has been denied sustained funding for years.
New Democrat defence critic Jack Harris said the issue has been managed with political short-sightedness.
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