Thank you, Chair.
Ms. Nash is right. We did have some excellent testimony in this regard on the Coasting Trade Act, and she is right that there was some testimony in regard to the sound and the impact of that. However, this act deals with something quite different, and that is the ability for vessels other than Canadian vessels to conduct tests. The testimony I heard—and I think the government side would agree with this too—is that although there are challenges, those challenges are being met. Those challenges are worldwide. The issue here is whether or not we will allow vessels other than those licensed in Canada only to do seismic testing.
I was looking for my notes, but if my memory serves me correctly, there's a very small number of vessels that currently are able to do this research. This would expand that and give our oil extraction companies a better opportunity to compete. This, of course, we know, is very important to places like Newfoundland and the other Atlantic provinces, for gas and oil exploration, and as such this is very important for the economy.
As I said, the testimony that I heard... Those two individuals who testified on the effects of sonar charging recognized, as do most people in the world, that there are effects, but we are working towards those things. The issue here again is the oil extraction and the need for other vessels to be able to do that.
I would further say, as a last point, that currently there are but two countries that limit seismic surveying to those ships that are licensed by their specific nations, Canada and Nigeria. Every other nation allows for other ships to come in, so we're just following that pattern.
Thank you, Chair.