Yes, sir, I am very aware of it.
Two points. One, the RIAS is mandatory in this particular situation. But first let's go back to what we were referring to earlier, that a lot of the talks are around Transport Canada's new proposed fishing vessel regulations. That's just one segment of the reform of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001; for you parliamentary people, it's called Bill C-14.
Within its first few pages, Bill C-14 gives its objectives and mandate. Ultimately, I guess, it's saying that they're trying to create a better environment for the safety of men and women at sea. That's just in summary, or course, or a paraphrase. It also dictates that as a regulation or as a law, it has to be economically sound--those aren't the specific words, but that's what it's saying--and it has to be enforceable.
When we go to what's proposed here, we're trying to make some sound input into the proposed small fishing vessel construction regulations and stability standards. But now we're at the stage, having done all that through the “consultation”, as it's called, when they're going to be doing the RIAS.
The RIAS is late. I was just out in Vancouver, B.C., last week, and Brian—I can't remember his last name, but he was a Transport Canada guy--was doing a presentation there to the fishermen who wished to attend. The whole regulations were scheduled to come out, I believe, in 2005, and then it got moved to 2006, because it was lagging behind. The last one was May 2007, and now it's looking like 2008. The RIAS has just been slow in coming.
I was asked to be part of that RIAS. The way it developed, and for various reasons, some personal, I backed out of that particular...and not the complete RIAS, only as part of it. Right now I know that the NSBA is in consultation with Ottawa to be part of that RIAS.
It just seems that every time something is agreed to, it gets delayed and delayed. The only thing I can say is that if we, as industry representatives, do get involved in part of the RIAS, I just hope that the data we present and find, that gets consolidated with the actual consultants who are making the large presentation on it and with the Ottawa people, will come out to be sound data.
I must say, there is a glimmer of light here. One of the individuals within the government bureaucracy did tell me that if the RIAS is to the point where it's really unfeasible economically to think that certain regulations can come in, then alterations and amendments to the proposed regulations would have to be looked at. He didn't say “changed”, he said “looked at”, and although I don't know what that fully means, I assume it means changed or modified while still trying to meet the objectives of Transport Canada.
The status right now is that the RIAS from the small fishing vessel is not contracted out to anyone specifically yet for the cost analysis portion of it.