Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning, everybody.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you about important issues that relate to the shipment of dangerous goods and safety management systems in Canada's transportation modes.
I also wish to thank the committee for their patience with us and forbearance in getting us a slot to speak with you today.
As the president of the Association of Canadian Port Authorities, I'm here representing the 18 port authorities that make up Canada's national ports system. I will be sharing my time this morning with Captain Yoss Leclerc, who is the vice-president and chief of marine operations at the Québec Port Authority, as you have mentioned, Mr. Chair. He also represents the 18 port authorities at ACPA.
I want to underline that Captain Leclerc brings with him over 15 years' experience as a merchant marine captain, having specialized in LNG carriers and tankers. He spent another 15 years on land, leading operations at the port of Montreal and Port Metro Vancouver, before moving to head up operations at the port of Quebec.
We wish to discuss the safety management systems used by our members and the private terminals and other users of our ports, and of course answer any questions that committee members might have.
From the outset, let me state that the marine and ports industry adheres to a strong and robust safety regime coupled with an equally strong track record.
I also want to highlight the fact that every day, Canadian ports support our country's economic growth and move our trade in a safe and reliable manner.
As I have said many times however, expanded trade agreements between Canada and international partners are making our world smaller. Traditional trade patterns are changing. Competition to carry and receive cargo is intensifying, so navigating this new environment effectively is crucial to Canada's economy and our standard of living.
That's why any future regulations or legislation relating to the transportation of dangerous goods being considered by the government should be proportionate to risk and integrated within what is already a robust international set of requirements.
We believe the current system both serves the safety of Canadians and the environment, which remains our top concern, as well as adequately supports our competitiveness as an industry. This is because Canada's port authorities operate in a complex environment within major national and international supply chains. By virtue of participating in a global industry, Canada's marine sector, including its port authorities, are subject to a wide range of international regulations and safety standards. ln short, the ports and the marine industry are already highly regulated both domestically and internationally.
Canada's ports are critically important to moving imports and exports around the world while creating jobs across Canada.
With 90% of everything that we buy and sell travelling by ship, maritime trade underpins the global economy. These are the goods we depend on every day: electronics, resources, food, and medicines.
A combined 162 billion dollars' worth of goods are shipped or received through Canadian port authorities every year.
Our ports handle nearly two-thirds of the country's water-borne cargo, contributing to job creation and economic growth, and creating over a quarter of a million jobs directly and indirectly that pay higher than average wages.
We're also proud that Canada's port authorities are strong believers in being responsible environmental stewards. Beyond adhering to established regulations in legislation there is a tremendous amount of independent personal activity, if you will, that is undertaken by the port authorities, which are committed to environmentally responsible and sustainable development. Almost all the CPAs, for example, are proud members of the Green Marine initiative, an internationally recognized certification program begun here in Canada for marine companies to reduce their environmental footprint and ensure the safety of their surrounding ecosystems and communities.
ACPA and Green Marine recently entered into a memorandum of understanding with the goal of jointly expanding efforts to reduce the marine industry's environmental footprint and encourage the industry to continuously improve its environmental and safety performance.
Last, Canada's port authorities are committed to being positive contributors to our communities in many areas, including education, health and welfare, and again the environment.
I would now like to turn it over to my colleague, Captain Leclerc, who will provide further details about the robust safety regulations already in place within the marine shipping sector.
Thank you.