Evidence of meeting #8 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was arctic.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Director, Design, Equipment and Boating Safety, Department of Transport
No. There's seismic work under way, but nothing else.
Liberal
Gerard Kennedy Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Okay. I wasn't sure, and I just wanted to find out. Thank you.
Director, Design, Equipment and Boating Safety, Department of Transport
No, there is not.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, panel members, for coming out.
Further to the question Mr. Bagnell was asking on the international issues, when we look at article 234 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, it supports Canada's jurisdiction in Arctic waters. What will the government do if a European Union tanker crosses into the extended AWPPA area, and how will the EU respond to other enforcement actions?
Director, Design, Equipment and Boating Safety, Department of Transport
We enforce the provisions of the Arctic act and the Arctic regulations for the construction, operation, and equipment requirements for any vessel that is entering the Arctic waters.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
Do the shipping companies find the regulations that are currently applied to shipping companies better than the AWPPA on this?
Director, Design, Equipment and Boating Safety, Department of Transport
Do they find them onerous?
Director, Design, Equipment and Boating Safety, Department of Transport
I think there's recognition by any shipping company that if you're going to operate in an environment where there is ice, you have to prepare for those hard hazards. Therefore, the vessels that operate in those environments are specially strengthened. They have people on board who are qualified and have experience in operating in ice.
All the vessels that come to the Canadian Arctic, whether they're domestic or foreign, comply with those same requirements. They all comply with the different aspects--whether it's the hull strength or whether it's the equipment--that are in the regulations.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
I have one simple question. What is the useful lifespan of icebreakers?
Director, Design, Equipment and Boating Safety, Department of Transport
What is the useful life of an icebreaker? That is a very difficult question. It depends on how well it was built, whether there is a mid-life refit. You can extend the life of a ship for quite a long time if you have a so-called mid-life refit. So it's difficult to say. We have ships in the lakes that are over 80 years old operating in fresh water, so they last a lot longer.
NDP
Dennis Bevington NDP Western Arctic, NT
Today how would you enforce the regulations on the type of vessel that's allowed into the Arctic? Do you have a method for enforcing those regulations?
Director, Design, Equipment and Boating Safety, Department of Transport
The regulations anticipate that a number of the vessels are going to be foreign vessels. For domestic vessels, of course, a vessel will go to any of our offices across the country at a port in the south. They will be inspected and issued with a certificate that shows compliance with the current regulations. For a foreign vessel, we have authorized a number of organizations that operate outside the country. These classification societies have the authority to do the inspection on our behalf and to issue a certificate that shows compliance with the requirements. Over and above that, once those vessels come into our waters, once they notify that they are coming into the waters, they will be asked if they're complying with the regulations.
At any point, we always have the authority to carry out a port state control inspection and go on board the vessel if it's deemed necessary.
NDP
Dennis Bevington NDP Western Arctic, NT
I guess the one striking example where that didn't work was the pleasure vessel that ended up in Cambridge Bay, where it was impounded by the RCMP. That's one that missed your enforcement regime.
Director, Design, Equipment and Boating Safety, Department of Transport
These regulations do not apply to pleasure vessels for the construction requirements, but of course they apply to all vessels from the perspective of reporting in, etc., and most invariably do.
NDP
Director, Design, Equipment and Boating Safety, Department of Transport
Yes, they do, and there are requirements. In fact, the international requirements for double hulls have now overtaken the requirements that we have in the regulations. By 2015 all tankers will have to have double hulls.
Bloc
Mario Laframboise Bloc Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC
I would like to you ask you a question that is a little more technical, Mr. Roussel.
How does one go about establishing the 200 nautical mile limit? Is there a recognized international standard?
Director General, Marine Safety, Department of Transport
Yes, it is established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is done from each state's baseline. Under the convention, states establish points. Canada must actually register the points for its baseline and the 200-mile limit is set from that line, which is located just off the coast.
Director General, Marine Safety, Department of Transport
The line is determined by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Hydrographic Service, hence the importance of getting those famous points established and officially registered in The Hague. That is where the people who look after the international law of the sea are located. Then you have to establish what we call the continental shelf. When that is done, we can get the shelf extended beyond the 200-mile limit for purposes of exploration on the ocean floor.
