Navy patrol can go ahead, O'Connor says

Last Updated: Thursday, January 18, 2007 | 10:45 AM AT

CBC News

Canada's defence minister said Ottawa is giving the navy more money so it can go ahead with a patrol off the East Coast after concerns about funding had postponed the voyage.

Earlier, the navy had cancelled a scheduled patrol by HMCS Halifax because it said it didn't have the money to send the ship to sea.

Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said Wednesday his department will give the navy the money it needs.
(CBC)

But Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said Wednesday that his department will give the navy the money it needs.

"I was given an estimate today that the navy would need three to five million dollars for fuel, essentially to meet these fishery patrols and a few other issues. And I've told our officials, make sure they get the three to five million dollars."

A Defence Department spokesman said Thursday the navy's budget has increased by 10 per cent since 2004-05.

O'Connor said he isn't sure how long it will take to get HMCS Halifax ready to sail for its 35-day mission.

The navy had earlier said that all but two ships on the East and West Coasts are tied up. HMCS Ottawa is in the Persian Gulf, and HMCS Charlottetown is out performing sea trials.

Senator Colin Kenny criticized the apparent lack of funding, and asked why Canada has a navy if there's no money for the ships to patrol the coast.

"It's not a good thing to run out of money," said Kenny, chair of the Senate's security and defence committee. "I think it's because of the extra costs with oil and the demands of Afghanistan."

But O'Connor said the navy's budget shortfall was not caused by Canada's mission in Afghanistan. The Defence Department will spend almost $800 million on the mission in Afghanistan this fiscal year, the spokesman said.

Canadians should be alarmed, MP says

"It's obvious they don't have money for fuel or personnel," Nova Scotia NDP MP Peter Stoffer said.

Stoffer called it "very disappointing" that the navy ships are tied up, and said Canadians should be alarmed.

"Not having these ships patrol leaves a big hole in our security," he said. "You can have illegal immigrants, drug traffickers, people who want to do us harm or harm our neighbours.
 
"The Americans have consistently accused Canada of having leaky security measures, and this will just prove to them that we are not even patrolling our own coasts for security measures."