Transport committee  At the time of the meeting, they said that sounded like a good idea and they would look into developing such a system. We called it the small vessel compliance program. It did not come to fruition in the end.

Transport committee  Nothing substantial.

Transport committee  Could I respond to the question about the difference in what the coast guard does, please?

Transport committee  I can indeed. The Canadian Coast Guard is responsible for en route safety of a vessel, whereas Transport Canada is responsible for the on-board safety on the vessel.

Transport committee  Absolutely no problem. Thank you for inviting me.

Transport committee  No, we don't generally have passenger vessels, for instance. Our members operate towboats. They tow barges and bulk cargoes around the coast of B.C. mainly. There's everything from petroleum products to lumber. They also tow logs up and down the coast. Among our members we have t

Transport committee  Thank you. My industry consists largely of vessels less than 24 metres. We have quite a few vessels over that, but most vessels are less than 24 metres. Transport Canada implemented a program called the blue decal program, which is largely self-reporting and inspected by Transpor

Transport committee  Yes.

Transport committee  SMS is a system that covers the safe operations of the vessel and of the company. That's from the office, to the wheelhouse and maintenance yard, to the engine room. It covers the whole operation. Only elements within the actual operation of that vessel need be covered in an SMS.

Transport committee  I think there is and it would help to go into some detail in this conversation, which I don't think you have time for.

Transport committee  Quickly, yes. We did put in a written proposal to Transport Canada and we can certainly dust that off and hand it into the committee.

Transport committee  Is that a little better? Transport Canada has brought into place the alternate service delivery program, and they also established what they call the blue decal program, which they intended to replace safety management systems for smaller vessels. The blue decal program is a vo

Transport committee  Yes, of course. Our recommendation was that all commercial vessels in Canada, regardless of size, should be required to implement a safety management system in the operation of those vessels.

Transport committee  I'll try to make it better by lifting the handset. I just described the experience of one of the employees on board one of the vessels in the pilot project. Another company, North Arm Transportation, had a complete change in its approach to its safety culture. That is most signi

Transport committee  Thank you very much. My intention this morning—or I guess it's afternoon for you folks in Ottawa—is to concentrate on the aspect of safety management systems in the marine mode. Just by way of a short introduction, I am a master mariner. I sailed in sea on deep-sea vessels for