Evidence of meeting #128 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was vessels.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Executive Director, Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce
I agree. I think a good way to track the vessels is through the insurance. The new owners, if they are responsible owners, should be getting insurance. If they are able to get insurance, having that tracking mechanism and having it filed through the insurance is a great idea and a great option.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
I would invite both of you to submit to us any other thoughts you have on reducing red tape, especially to relieve the difficulties of trying to locate an owner rather than have a system whereby, if certain conditions are met, the boat is deemed abandoned and it doesn't matter who the owner is. It belongs to either the province or the municipality to do with as they need.
That's all the time I need, Mr. Chair.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Mr. Hardie.
We'll now go to Madame Desbiens for two and a half minutes or less, please.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to ask our two witnesses on either side to tell us how the committee can support their respective areas of work. I think that these areas are related, but a bit different.
Ms. Bowman, is money the only issue? Is it also the whole organizational definition of federal involvement? I'm thinking of Transport Canada, for example, for registration. I'm thinking of the Canadian Coast Guard for more concrete action in hostile environments. I'm also thinking of DFO, in some ways.
Can you tell us, in two minutes—maybe take a minute each—your expectations of these entities, according to your criteria?
Executive Director, Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce
This committee could put a report in place to address the issue as a whole, breaking down each section, including all of the associated entities that work so hard already to help us address these issues. Putting new mechanisms in place means insurance, mitigation, prevention and removal. It's all part and parcel.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Ms. Dubois, we're listening.
Executive Director, Ocean Legacy Foundation
I would agree with Ms. Bowman. I think it involves all levels in terms of mitigation, prevention and removal, and it will require collaboration across all levels of government.
Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you.
We'll now go to Ms. Barron for two and a half minutes or less to finish up.
NDP
Lisa Marie Barron NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Dubois, my next question is for you.
Can you share a bit more with the committee about the work that you're doing and why you see first-hand how important it is that we have indigenous stewardship and indigenous-led work happening at the forefront of the derelict and abandoned vessel issues that we're experiencing on the west coast?
Executive Director, Ocean Legacy Foundation
We work hand in hand, collaborate and co-create a lot of the cleanups that we perform, including the ones with derelict vessels. It is absolutely critical that indigenous communities be given or provided the resources necessary to help lead. Oftentimes, a lot of these communities lack resources or administrative capacity and can't participate in the grants that are being offered to steward their own lands.
There needs to be a mechanism in place to ensure that there is equal opportunity for remote, coastal indigenous communities, because they know their lands like the back of their hand. They know them inside and out. They know where these vessels are. They know how close in proximity they are to their culturally significant lands and burial sites as well as their traditional harvesting grounds. They need to be given the same resources or at least have the capacity built so that they can participate equally.
NDP
Lisa Marie Barron NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Thank you.
Because I only have a short time left, I'm going to ask my next question to you as well, Ms. Dubois.
You mentioned the tax on containers, and I'm not sure if you're aware—I believe you are—that this committee has already done a study on the direct response to the ZIM Kingston spill that happened along the west coast and the containers that were spilled as a result. We also looked at a more appropriate and timely plan for these spills when they do occur.
In terms of the tax on containers, you mentioned how that would help with some essential funding to clean up these vessels. Can you expand on that, so that it's really clear for us to understand for our recommendations moving forward?
Executive Director, Ocean Legacy Foundation
Sure. Our group has been the “boots on the ground” in response to a lot of these shipping-container spills, as well as addressing the actions in the removal of the derelict vessels. An idea that we had was to create a small tax or levy through the port. Every shipping container or ship that comes in pays a small levy that then gets pooled into a larger fund or pool of resources. In looking at the “polluter pay principle”, we see that a lot of times it fails when the polluter doesn't pay or can't be identified. This fund would then allow some baseline resources to be put in place so that we can respond faster.
Oftentimes, when the polluter is identified, there is a lengthy administrative process that needs to occur. Those funds do not get out into the hands of communities or into the hands of experts to then remediate the pollution that is occurring from these spills. With the ZIM Kingston spill, the response was very delayed overall. The whole time that we were waiting for funds to be released, materials were photodegrading, smashing against the rocks and coastlines and getting smaller and smaller, which increases not only the difficulty of reclaiming these materials but also the cost of removing them.
We need to ensure that there's some kind of recurring income coming in that we can use as a resource to respond to these larger-scale spills that happen and will continue to happen as ocean traffic and transport continue to increase and trade increases on our coastline.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Ms. Barron. You turned two and a half minutes into four and a half. Not everybody can do that, so congratulations.
I want to say thank you to Ms. Dubois and Ms. Bowman for sharing their knowledge with the committee today, as we get ready to give some direction on the writing of this report.
I'll allow you to sign off now, and we'll suspend for a moment as we go in camera.
[Proceedings continue in camera]