Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I do thank our witnesses for joining us. It's very important that we hear from you today on the proposed legislation that is before us in the second budget implementation act.
I take very seriously the concerns that you've raised around the very tight timelines and the fact that this legislation is part of a budget bill. It echoes, perhaps, our disappointment on this side of the table, given some of the signature pieces of the transportation strategy that the minister has outlined, such as the oceans protection plan, which this is apparently part of. We know that the minister has a 2030 strategy when it comes to transportation, and there is our own undertaking of a Canadian transportation logistics strategy study. It's a very lengthy and, I think, expensive endeavour that we have undertaken to go across the country to understand some of the challenges that are facing our transportation system.
I'm not sure whether my colleagues on the other side are as disappointed as we are in terms of something as significant as these changes, these substantial changes—and those are the words of the deputy minister—that have been made to the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 and the Marine Liability Act.
What I would ask you to comment on is, perhaps, how the process has unfolded for you, Mr. Lewis-Manning. I know that Ms. Simard already provided her comments on that. Further, would you expand a bit more on clause 692 and how this clause impacts the shipping industry in British Columbia? I'm wondering if you can give an example of how this will impact the shipping industry as a whole and how it will impact Canadian competitiveness.