In addition, it is important for us to note the following five critical changes in the bill: separating of regulatory authority from the delivery of pilotage services; transferring of responsibilities for regulating and issuing pilotage certificates from the pilotage authorities to Transport Canada; giving Transport Canada regulatory responsibility for risk assessments and for the establishment of compulsory pilotage areas; ensuring that service contracts can't be used to address regulatory matters, thereby circumventing the regulatory process; and finally, requiring that service contracts be made publicly available.
Each of these is key to ensuring objectivity in decision-making and avoiding areas of conflict, and to ensure that services are provided with efficiency and cost-effectiveness in mind.
To build on the cost-effectiveness aspect, we are keen to work with Transport Canada on the development of a national certification system that promotes on-board training and certification of a company's masters and officers to pilot their own vessels, similar to what we already have in place on the Great Lakes.