As I was saying, another agency will have the resources or expertise to effectively deal with navigation concerns, so expecting them to address the shortfalls in the act is moot.
Other federal agencies, provincial agencies, and municipalities have relied on Transport Canada for their guidance and advice related to navigable waters to effectively implement their own laws and regulations. For example, some in-water obstructions to navigation, dams for example, are subject to Ontario's Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act, but we are not aware of similar legislation that prevents out-of-water obstructions or in-water obstructions that do not impede water flow or levels to navigation, such as fences, wires, zip lines, and other.
The focus on commercial navigation in the NPA largely removes consideration of most recreational activities that occur on what are now unlisted waters. In its current form, the NPA effectively separates the protection of navigation from the protection of navigable waters. For most recreational activities that occur on lakes or rivers, the waterways that Canadians use to pursue these opportunities are largely excluded from schedule 2 of the NPA and thus excluded from federal oversight.
The waters no longer listed in schedule 2 provide for a diversity of fishing, hunting, recreational boating, kayaking, canoeing, and other opportunities. If there are gaps in the legislation that allow for the obstruction of navigation in unlisted waters, access to traditional uses could be restricted. This in turn reduces the potential social, cultural, ecological, and economic benefits gained by these same opportunities. For instance, hunting, fishing, trapping, and outfitting in Canada contribute $15.2 billion annually to the national economy, and it's fair to say that the restrictions left in place in the NPA could have a negative impact on that bottom line. Changes to the former NWPA also potentially impact public safety, given that fences, wires, and other obstructions across waters can be extremely dangerous, especially in high-flowing waters where the majority of navigation issues occur.
In closing, I want to touch briefly on one of the most puzzling aspects of the changes that were made. For the purposes of the former act, minor works and minor waters were certain classes of works and navigable waters that could already be exempted from the application process under the act. This was introduced originally to streamline the federal approval processes to save time and effort for some of the proponents. An exemption would be granted when the physical characteristics limited any realistic potential for practical navigation. Since the mechanism already existed in the NWPA to allow for an exemption to address these circumstances, surely the legislation could have been refined to respond to the concerns that had been raised and make it clearer rather than simply gutting the process entirely, leaving 99.7% of Canada's lakes and almost 100% of its rivers unprotected. Although it appears that changes made to the NWPA several years ago were not intended to restrict public access, the fact remains that we may lose access to thousands of lakes, rivers, and streams across the country.
We believe that changes are needed to the current statute to ensure that the right to navigation is fully protected, and encourage members of the committee to take another look at what was done, and seek a better way to accommodate the concerns raised in connection with the previous legislation, while restoring the right of access for all those who use waterways for economic, cultural, and social benefit.
Navigable waters not only helped to shape early Canadian commerce, but also our culture and our identity. Many Canadians continue to have a strong desire to experience this great country through the use of our navigable waters. Let's not put up legislative barriers that keep them from exercising that right.
Thank you again, Madam Chair and members of the committee, for your time and courtesy this morning.