That's terribly kind of you. Thank you, Sean.
First of all, as someone who called Farley Mowat one of my very best friends in life—he was my daughter's godfather—I feel moved to make sure the committee knows that the Farley Mowat, christened by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, would not have come to the sad fate it did had it not been arrested by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and resold through that process. The ultimate owners had no connection to the Farley Mowat or its environmental purposes.
I'll turn my attention to the excellent testimony we've heard. I welcome this legislation. I represent the area of Saanich—Gulf Islands and I absolutely echo everything we've heard from Sheila Malcolmson, Pam, and Mayor Heintzman. This is a constant source of grief in our area, and as you said, Mr. Kendrick, we have this problem because our boats survive the winters. The problem of derelict and abandoned vessel problem is far greater on the west coast of Canada where vessels are left in the water over the winter, and is compounded, as Pam Goldsmith-Jones just stressed, by the crisis of homelessness with people moving into these vessels. They are abandoned, derelict, and sometimes inhabited. It's a very serious problem.
I welcome this effort to deal with the problem, but I wonder if in the time that I have—since, as you've gathered, I'm not a member of this committee—I will have an opportunity to put forward amendments. To each of you, where do you think amendments would best be focused? I noted the rye humour in your point, Mr. Kendrick, that there will be lots and lots of paperwork involved and the process will be slow. Given your experience—and I'll start with you and move then to Madam Legars—what would you most like to see changed about this legislation to make it as effective as possible?