Thank you, Madam Chair and committee members. On behalf of the 14-member cruise lines of Cruise Lines International Association-North West & Canada, I would like to thank the committee for this opportunity to comment on the proposed amendments to the Pilotage Act contained in Bill C-97.
CLIA represents cruise lines sailing Canada's coastlines from the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Seaway to the Arctic and Pacific coastal waters. Our industry has a major, positive impact on Canada's economy and supports businesses and communities up and down these coastlines.
Crew members and passengers invest in travel, accommodations and supplies as they make their way to and from our ships, and they support local businesses when they spend money on excursions, food, supplies and souvenirs at our many ports of call. Cruise lines boost local businesses as they provision their ships with food and beverages, fuel and other supplies, and they invest in local port services and spend money on ship repairs, maintenance and equipment.
Overall, our industry contributes $3.2 billion every year to Canada's economy, and I believe the clerk has distributed the information I provided that outlines our economic contributions.
The Pilotage Act and Canada's overall pilotage framework have gone largely untouched for almost 50 years, during which our industry has evolved dramatically. Members of the CLIA welcome the government's proposed legislative changes, particularly those that aim to help standardize safety rules, rationalize costs, strengthen governance, support innovation and enhance public transparency.
The cruise industry supports pilotage in Canada as a valuable enhancement to the safety and security of passengers and vessels. We know that pilots will continue to play an important role within Canada's marine safety network.
For CLIA member cruise lines, maritime operational safety, the safety of our guests, and the safety of ports the cruise ships visit are their top priority. CLIA member cruise lines have an exceptional safety record, and as an industry we continue to raise the bar through a continual evolution of enhanced best practices and industry policies.
We join with pilots in their unwavering commitment to safety. While the safety records of the pilotage authorities are strong, improvements are needed with respect to the efficiency of pilotage services. We believe that Canada's modernized pilotage regime must focus on enhancing productivity, adaptability and supporting the adoption of new technologies to help ensure the continued competitiveness of cruise lines in Canada.
We were pleased to see much of this addressed at the outset of these amendments in the proposed purpose statement. Throughout the act's review, CLIA raised concerns about the monopolistic structure of pilotage services and the upward spiral in pilotage costs at a rate that far exceeds the rate of inflation. Our members welcome changes that will bring transparency and impartial decision-making to contracts that determine fees for these mandated services.
The evaluation of risk and risk mitigation in Canadian waters can be very uneven between different pilot regions. CLIA supports removing regulatory functions from the pilotage authorities, bringing them into line with other federal agencies, and freeing them up to focus on safety, efficiency and administering pilot services. We are optimistic that these changes will support greater standardization and consistency in the management of risk.
CLIA appreciates that the voices of our member lines have been included in the long-awaited review of the Pilotage Act, as well as your committee's review of these proposed legislative amendments. Overall, we welcome these changes. We also wish to emphasize that there will be more work to do with respect to the development of a modernized pilotage regulatory framework to give effect to this new legislation and ensure intended outcomes are met.
CLIA looks forward to the opportunity of contributing collaboratively with government throughout this process.
Thank you.