moved for leave to introduce Bill C-215, An Act to amend the Marine Liability Act (national strategy respecting pollution caused by shipping container spills).
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce a bill today that would amend the Marine Liability Act to require the development and implementation of a national strategy to address pollution caused by shipping container spills.
In 2016, when 35 shipping containers fell from the Hanjin Seattle into the ocean off the coast of Vancouver Island, the government did not have an emergency response plan in place or resources available to rapidly respond.
In 2021, when 109 shipping containers fell from the ZIM Kingston into the ocean, again off the coast of Vancouver Island, the government still did not have an emergency response plan or proper equipment to respond.
If a spill were to happen today, the government again would not be prepared to respond.
Volunteers have been cleaning debris off our shores for years, following shipping containers and finding items such as refrigerators, urinal mats, inflatable toys, lost containers with Styrofoam, plastic items and toxic chemicals that continue to pollute our marine ecosystems.
With climate change making extreme weather events more common, it is essential that Canada has a strategy in place to prevent shipping container spills and to respond rapidly and effectively when they happen. This bill seeks to begin that work before the next disaster happens.
I am thankful to my colleague, the MP for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, for seconding the bill and for his ongoing work to build a cleaner, more sustainable future.
I hope all members will support this very important bill.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)