Good morning, everyone.
Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for the invitation to appear before the committee.
My name is Bruce Burrows. I'm the President of the new Chamber of Marine Commerce.
I'm joined today by Robert Turner, our Vice-President of Operations.
I'll launch right into our remarks, as I know you're all aware of the CMC and what we do.
The CMC represents over 130 marine industry members in Canada and the United States.
I can't stress how fundamentally important these reforms are to Canada's pilotage system. The Pilotage Act hasn't seen a major overhaul since the early seventies, and it shows, quite frankly. After 45 years, we're finally seeing changes in Bill C-97 that will set out a framework that will encourage greater objectivity, transparency and consistency. All of these are essential elements to good governance, which has been lacking in today's monopolized pilotage system.
The Pilotage Act will now have clear purpose and principles to guide decision-making, and pilotage services are to be provided in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Use of evolving technology and sound risk management are also brought to the forefront.