Bill C-305

An Act to amend the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 (anchorage prohibition)

This enactment amends the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 to prohibit the anchoring of vessels within certain waters.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Thank you so much.

It certainly seems that it's time for some modernizing of how we're managing or not managing the ports.

I'm going to focus on something relatively narrow, though. It's for Mr. McConchie. This is in relation to the frustration of islanders and how long this anchorage problem has been going on.

You mentioned that there was a visit here five years ago. I'm sure it was going on long before that. It's certainly one reason why my colleague, Alistair MacGregor, has a private member's bill around this. It's Bill C-305, an act to amend the shipping act.

This is really in regard to modernization. Considerations around protecting biodiversity and around the environment didn't seem to play into the initial planning. As my colleague, MP MacGregor, has said many times, it's to stop using the precious waterways as an overflow parking lot.

I did want to get some more insight and understanding on how we got from 19 to 476 vessels hanging out in the overflow parking lot.

Canada Shipping Act, 2001

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-305, An Act to amend the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 (anchorage prohibition).

Mr. Speaker, for years, communities in and around the Salish Sea have had to deal with the presence of large freighters using our waters for extended periods of time while they wait their turn in the Port of Vancouver. Today, I am pleased and honoured to introduce a private member's bill to address this issue by amending the Canada Shipping Act, 2001.

The bill proposes to introduce a new section, 23.1, to the act, which would prohibit the anchoring of large vessels in an area surrounding the southern Gulf Islands and the east coast of Vancouver Island. Any vessel contravening this prohibition would be committing an offence and would be liable to a fine of up to $100,000.

The coastal communities in this area are frustrated by years of inaction from the federal government. These anchorages were established on traditional territories without the free, prior and informed consent of local first nations. If the federal government values these same waters enough to establish a national marine conservation area, then they also deserve protection from being used as an overflow industrial parking lot. This bill would do just that.

I would like to thank my colleague, the member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith, for being my seconder.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)