The following statement was read in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable John Hogan, QC, Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General:

Speaker, ground search and rescue teams in Newfoundland and Labrador play a significant role in public safety. Regardless of the conditions, these volunteers step up when there is an emergency and people are in need of assistance.

In December 2021, we released the final report from the Inquiry into Ground Search and Rescue for Lost and Missing Persons in Newfoundland and Labrador. The findings of this public inquiry will have long-lasting impacts for many more years to come. Since the release of the report, our government has committed approximately $1.8 million to the Newfoundland and Labrador Search and Rescue Association. This includes the nearly $1 million that was announced last week as part of Budget 2022 and the $775,000 provided at the end of 2021. The $1.8 million is in addition to the current $191,000 in annual funding provided to the Newfoundland and Labrador Search and Rescue Association. The significant investment will be used to implement the inquiry recommendations, as well as for equipment and training.

Speaker, we are committed to working with our partners to strengthen search and rescue in Newfoundland and Labrador, and we will continue to work on how best to implement the inquiry recommendations. I want to thank NLSARA for its continued partnership in this area.

Newfoundland and Labrador has a long history of volunteerism, and the system as it exists, would not function without the efforts of these dedicated and trained ground search and rescue teams. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the search and rescue teams around this province for their hard work, dedication and commitment to our communities.

Thank you Speaker.