Mr. Speaker, I suppose all of us as supporters of a united Canada should rejoice that the Reform Party has finally discovered Atlantic Canada. Nonetheless, it is a bit of overweening pride to assume that a very short visit to Atlantic Canada can possibly generate an awareness of the issues of the people of that region similar to the awareness the member for Hillsborough has after his many, many years of service to the people of his riding in Prince Edward Island and of Atlantic Canada.
I certainly hope members of the Reform Party will manage a return visit to Prince Edward Island. They might learn some humility and attain some understanding that it takes more than a flying visit with a political purpose to appreciate the views of Atlantic Canadians.
It is my pleasure to speak on the oceans act. Canada is a front runner in the area of oceans technology. This legislation will help ensure that Canadian companies involved in this field continue to grow.
The current work in this area is benefiting not only all Canadians but also the world. Canadian oceans related industries continue to bring new and exciting products and opportunities to Canadians and particularly those who live and work in our coastal regions.
One of the identifying factors of Canada is that we are a maritime nation. With our shores bordered by three oceans, our coastline is the longest in the world. We also have the world's largest archipelago and part of the world's longest inland waterway opening up to the sea.
It is important that we continue to build our understanding of our oceans, waterways and aquatic resources. Marine navigation is essential to the safe movement of goods on which our trade is so dependent. Commercial ships carry more than 350 million tonnes of cargo to and from Canadian ports each year. More shipping passes through the St. Lawrence seaway than through the Panama and Suez canals combined.
This bill deals with the concerns of the National Advisory Board on Science and Technology and other stakeholders, by allowing the development of an oceans management strategy which includes the planning and management of marine activities while also involving all the partners, including provincial governments.
In addition to promoting investment, the bill will increase the efficiency of environmental protection measures by establishing marine protected areas, by using a more global approach for the management of oceans, and by introducing the management of coastal zones.
I want to return for a moment to the importance of this bill to the growing marine industry which is so important to Canada's economy. We are already recognized internationally as having one of the world's most advanced hydrographic organizations. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is leading the way in the development of new tools and techniques in partnership with industry.
This will continue as the development serves two purposes. The first is to improve the efficiency with which the department does its work which is in line with government program review initiatives. The second purpose, through the transfer of technology to the private sector, is to help to foster the growth of Canadian industries specializing in this field.
I will mention some of those industries. One of the most exciting new contributions, and this is within fisheries and oceans, is the development of the electronic chart display information system which allows mariners to navigate from a video screen array combining a digital chart with a radar display of shipping, navigational aids, coastline and other features. Canadian ocean industries continue to lead the way in areas of oceans technology and in many other areas.
In the area of remote sensing Canadian industry has developed the compact airborne spectrometer imaging sensor for cost effective aircraft based monitoring of capelin spawning, coastal habitat and algal blooms. This technology was developed under contract to Canadian industry based on technology from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans fluorescence line imager projects.
Three Canadian companies have been exploiting the technology. Itres Ltd. in Calgary is producing, selling and servicing it worldwide. Borstad and Associates Ltd. have developed algorithms for interpreting CASI data into quantitative coastal zone information products and provide a monitoring and information service. AGI Ariel Geomatics of British Columbia collects, processes and interprets airborne imagery for environmental uses.
All of these companies are developing collaborative arrangements with international partners to penetrate the coastal zone market niche in global environmental information services.
The Gable Group is another successful Canadian firm developing products for markets in oceanographic and freshwater monitoring and conservation and industrial applications such as moisture and heat measurement systems for irrigation, forestry and ground water pollution.
There are concerns for instance that salmon stocks are threatened by overfishing or poorly managed restocking and by the adverse effects of environmental pollution. For salmon the better management of the fish resources requires the availability of data on the origin of the fish, their migration patterns, the nutrients and pollutants they encounter during their life. An innovative new method to supply precise, reliable data for salmon migration studies has been developed by Elemental Research Inc. This company's product can measure the inorganic elemental content of fish tissue, bones and scales to the highest possible levels of sensitivity.
The need to make Canada's coastal waters safer and more accessible has been recognized by Mr. Bruce Seligman who has developed the tracked amphibious vehicle, ARKTOS. The Beta prototype has been used by Transport Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard, and more recently the Atlantic Geoscience Centre in Nova Scotia. Watercraft Offshore has successfully achieved over $6 million worth of contracts over the past few years with China.
The list can go on. The future of these new industries is indeed bright. With the oceans act and the oceans management strategy it will be even brighter.
Countries ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea will have to map their 200 mile offshore exclusive economic zone. With Canada's demonstrated leadership in this field many of these nations will turn to Canadian companies to assist in meeting those requirements.
As the world's population grows and society becomes more industrialized, demands on the aquatic environment increase the stakes are more costly and guesswork becomes more dangerous.
The oceans act furthers Canada's commitment to Canadian ocean industries and ensures the technology continues to flow between governments and industries as partnerships are further developed.
I encourage all my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation for the benefit of all Canadians.