My name is kil tlaats 'gaa Peter Lantin and I'm the elected president and official spokesperson on behalf of the Haida Nation. I'll begin with some context for our submission.
The Haida Nation's territory is vast. It includes the entirety of Haida Gwaii and its surrounding waters. It includes the entire Dixon Entrance, half of Hecate Strait, Queen Charlotte Sound halfway to Vancouver Island and westward beyond the 200 nautical mile limit. Haida Gwaii has supported our people and culture since time immemorial. The land, ocean and living creatures are essential for the health and well-being of Haida culture and citizens, as well as the citizens of Canada.
Haida Gwaii must be managed to a higher standard of care with a lower threshold of risk for two reasons. First, we collaboratively manage much of Haida Gwaii with both the federal and provincial governments. Second, Haida Gwaii is not subject to a treaty and we are in active litigation with the Government of Canada and British Columbia, in respect of Haida Gwaii.
Our submission will focus on two areas. The first is the burden of risk posed by marine shipping and the second with regard to the recommendations to prevent this risk.
The Haida nation bears an unacceptable burden of risk posed by marine shipping under Canada's current regulatory framework. For those who don't know where Haida Gwaii is located, we are located in a very unique, specific place in Canada. Haida Gwaii lies along major shipping routes from the ports of Prince Rupert, Kitimat and Stewart. We're close to the great circle route between North America and Asia and the shipping route between the southern U.S. and Alaska. Proposed liquefied natural gas terminals and other trade expansions, including the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline, would result in increased shipping traffic through Haida territorial waters.
Our concerns about the unacceptable burden of risk are not unfounded. Several large cargo ships and vessels have come dangerously close to grounding and causing a major spill. These include the Simushir in 2014, the North Star in 2015 and the Prestige earlier this year. Since the Simushir near miss in 2014, the priority for the Haida Nation has remained the same. Prevention is the priority.
While the Haida Nation is collaborating with the Canadian Coast Guard to establish a Haida Gwaii response plan, the recent Nathan E. Stewart incident in Heiltsuk territory demonstrates that any response plan will be ineffective at cleaning up or preventing oil products from reaching the coastline. The very real possibility that our people might not be able to continue to rely upon our oceans is what drives us to ensure that these catastrophes do not occur.
We provide four preventative strategies. First, Canada must implement a permanent moratorium on shipping oil products through Haida Gwaii and north coast waters. The Haida citizens have mandated through the Haida Nation's legislative assemblies a permanent moratorium on the transport of large quantities of all petroleum products through Haida Gwaii waters. We urge Canada to do the same. Canada must not only implement the oil tanker moratorium act, but it also must expand the moratorium to include export of all fossil fuels and persistent and non-persistent oil products through Haida Gwaii and north coast waters.
Our second preventative strategy is that Canada must introduce measures to establish a safe distance offshore for existing shipping traffic. Since 2015, the Haida Nation has advocated for a risk mitigation zone of 50 to 100 nautical miles off the west coast of Haida Gwaii. A similar objective was also adopted by Parks Canada and DFO in the Gwaii Haanas land-sea-people plan, which was just approved recently by both Canadian and Haida Nation governments.
The third preventative strategy is that Canada must commit to dedicating ocean-going rescue towing vessels. Recent studies have shown that a towing vessel in northern locations will dramatically improve response times and success rates. This was done in a study by the Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping, yet Canada has only committed to leasing two rescue tugs over a three-year trial period. It has not made any commitments for permanent vessels. Canada must implement longer-term solutions, with at least two vessels in the north coast and one permanently stationed on Haida Gwaii.
The fourth and final preventative strategy is that Canada must respect international obligations. We remind Canada that the collaborative management bodies established under the Haida-Canada agreement are available to begin implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in a way that respects and implements reconciliation.
In summary, Canada's current regulatory framework for maritime trade does not address our concerns. We recommend that Canada expand the oil tanker moratorium to include refined oil products, introduce measures to ensure that vessels transit a safe distance offshore from Haida Gwaii, and finally, commit to a permanently stationed rescue tow vessel on Haida Gwaii.
Thank you.