Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This amendment is, again, to strengthen the act in relation to the regulations made by the minister that relate to the management of anchorages by port authorities, to ensure that the regulations made by the minister emphasize the protection of the marine environment.
As you heard in testimony before the committee, the ships are literally dropping anchor and scraping the ocean floor as they move in and out of areas that are otherwise not industrial zones; they're pristine marine environmental areas within the Gulf Islands in the case of the Port of Vancouver. My riding and the ridings of Cowichan—Malahat—Langford and Nanaimo—Ladysmith are absolutely blanketed with anchorages that, by their very definition, are not respectful of the marine environment. This is to emphasize that aspect of decisions around anchorages.
Thank you. I hope you can support this.