Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Hello to my colleagues and to the witnesses. Thank you for being here.
Before I get into a few questions, I just want to take this time to thank the Canadian Coast Guard.
Recently we've had too many tragedies on the Atlantic coast, whether it's in Newfoundland and Labrador with a Spanish vessel or with a vessel off the coast of Cape Breton. I just want to commend the men and women of the Coast Guard for their efforts.
Also, I know it's a difficult time when you lose people in the Coast Guard. I know that your staff, your employees, those who are on the vessels and those who are at the Canadian Coast Guard College in Cape Breton feel it every time someone is lost. I just want to thank you for all your efforts. Please pass that on to each of the men and women in the Coast Guard.
I have a couple of questions.
One is actually building on a question that MP Barron referenced earlier in the testimony. It's around the polluter pays principle. I heard during the testimony—and please correct me if I'm wrong—that there's a window of three to six years. I'm just wondering if there's a statute of limitations on that. For example, if a container happens to unleash some of its product and it's traceable back to the owner, 10 years down the road is the owner still culpable in terms of making restitution and payment to the Government of Canada?
That would perhaps go to somebody from Transport Canada, I believe.