Thank you, Chair.
With thanks to all three of the witnesses, I'm going to focus my questions on the National Marine Manufacturers Association.
I was elected in British Columbia. It's actually perfect that you're here today, because this afternoon we have another witness, from Vard Marine, who was commissioned by Transport Canada to do a picture of both the abandoned vessel problem and also our capacity to respond to it from a ship breaking and recycling point of view.
This is how they characterized what they heard from marinas in B.C. I'm just going to read it out for the record, but I'm curious whether it resonates with what you've heard from your membership. It says:
Vessel abandonment is clearly perceived to be a significant issue in the region, with numerous respondents reporting problems ranging from illegal mooring adjacent to their facilities, to abandoned or sunken vessels inside their facilities which cannot be dealt with easily due to regulatory and risk uncertainty, and even incidents of vessels leaking fuel, sewage, or even being set ablaze in their harbour as a means to scuttle them quickly.
It goes on to say:
All the stakeholders acknowledged that proper disposal of vessels is an issue.
One marina reports an estimated 16 vessels sunk deliberately or after being abandoned on the sea floor within the bounds of their marina.
I'm seeing a nod, so you're hearing this from your membership also.