Thank you. No, it won't be a submission.
When we first became alarmed that the law was changing for seafarers and was going to affect our lives, it was 2005. You've heard a number of references to the former Bill C-15, which was an act to amend certain parts of the Migratory Birds Convention Act in CEPA. This concept of reverse onus and strict liability for our profession came really late into Canadian legislation. At that time we didn't find out until third reading. She was in the House, and it was at third reading. All suggestions were that an election was imminent.
There was a priority push on it to get it through the Senate, and it eventually succeeded. The Senate did hear us. We appeared before the Senate environment committee. It was a similar delegation; I was included. This time round, we learned about it in the newspaper article, about five weeks ago, I guess. Ms. Arsoniadis Stein found out about it and she alerted me. We started to decide whether we could muster an attack and try to deal with this one this time.
It was also mentioned that our first official consultation with the shipping industry took place yesterday. Environment Canada sent a delegation to the Canadian Marine Advisory Council. We've met twice a year in Ottawa every year for the last 35 years, the entire marine industry, Canadian and international marine industry. We have no qualms about saying that Transport Canada advises us of everything. They apparently didn't even know.
We think we've been treated rather shabbily, and not just this time; we put it on the record the last time as well. I hope that answers things.