Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take part in the debate on Bill C-26, and more particularly on Motions Nos. 67 and 68, concerning the oceans of Canada.
I congratulate the hon. member for Gaspé for his excellent work regarding this issue. The bill seeks to recognize Canada's jurisdiction over its maritime zones, and to define the legislative framework required to establish a national oceans management strategy.
Bill C-26 also seeks to define federal responsibilities regarding ocean management, something which it fails to do. Part I recognizes, at the national level, Canada's jurisdiction over its maritime zones, as defined by the UN convention on the law of the sea. This part incorporates provisions of the Canadian Laws Offshore Application Act and of the Territorial Sea and Fishing Zones Act. It is therefore a repetition of existing legal provisions. Consequently, I wonder about appropriateness of this part of the bill which, in my opinion, is not necessary.
Let us not forget that, with coastlines stretching for some 244,000 kilometres, Canada is among the first countries in the world in that regard. These coasts are, to a large extent, along islands in the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans. This is in addition to the 9,500 kilometres of coastline along the Great Lakes.
In 1970, Canada affirmed its jurisdiction over a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles. On January 1, 1977, the fishing zone was extended to 200 nautical miles.
I take this opportunity to mention the dispute that opposed Spain to Canada. It is an episode which I followed closely, since I am the
only member of this Parliament who is of Spanish origin. The dispute was about the turbot along the coast of Newfoundland.
A settlement was reached between Canada and the European Union, but Spain is not entirely pleased with it. There are currently two lawsuits before the courts: one by the Spanish government, before the International Court of Justice, in The Hague. The other, of a private nature, is by the owner or the captain of the Estai .
So, Spain is contesting the acts, the regulations and the measures taken by Canada, maintaining that Canada has no right to seize boats outside its territorial waters, and claiming compensation. The case is before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, but in the meantime Canada does not want to recognize that court's jurisdiction. The case is now at the preliminary stage concerning the jurisdiction of this international court.
In my view, this is an important problem. Canada should recognize the jurisdiction of this tribunal so that it may hear the case as to the substance. I think that this would greatly improve relations between Canada and Spain, between Canada and the European Union. I ask the Canadian government to review its position and to recognize the jurisdiction of this international tribunal.
Part II of Bill C-26 seeks to establish a national oceans management strategy. However, the legislative framework is poorly defined and federal responsibilities are not spelled out. This paves the way for interference by the federal government in sectors that do not come under its jurisdiction. I am thinking here of the protection of wildlife and habitats, as well as water, where Quebec has the greater jurisdiction.
Furthermore, clause 29 refers to provincial governments merely in terms of collaboration, on the same level as aboriginal organizations, coastal communities and other persons and bodies affected by the issue.
It is therefore reasonable to believe that this part of the bill may give rise to a number of conflicts between Ottawa and the provinces, as well as with the various stakeholders in the communities concerned. I would like the bill to involve the provinces more, to see them fully involved in the decision making process leading to the creation of a national ocean management strategy. This would make it possible to clarify the responsibilities of all partners involved.
For the foregoing reasons, I cannot support this bill as presented to us today, and I am even less able to support it because of the motions under consideration at this time. The number of motions to this bill in the committee and in the House suggests it is fairly controversial, moreover. I would also like to point out that I support the various motions proposed by the Bloc Quebecois, particularly those from my colleague from Gaspé. These motions offer more clarity by redefining the relationships and powers between the federal government and the provinces. In my opinion, they will ensure a greater respect of provincial jurisdictions by Ottawa.
I also support the motions on fee mechanisms for Coast Guard services, particularly navigational aids and ice breaking. The objectives of these motions are, among other things, to make the fee mechanisms more equitable and to force the ministers to collaborate with the industry and the provinces before imposing fees or raising them. These amendments will prevent the minister for acting unilaterally, with no concern for public hearings, as he has done in the past.
The fees in this bill are unevenly distributed among the various Canadian ports. It will cost as much for a ship arriving off the Atlantic to unload in Sept-Îles as it will in Thunder Bay, 3,700 kilometres further up the St. Lawrence. Another example: a Canadian shipowner registering his vessel abroad will pay one seventh the amount paid by the person registering his vessel in Canada.
These two examples indicate that the scale of charges in Bill C-26 is problematic. The bill contains a number of inequities. It will considerably reduce the competitiveness of Quebec and Canadian ports. This is why I think these clauses should be reviewed.
In this regard, I would like to point out that the Quebec transport minister, Jacques Brassard, the mayors of the principal cities along the St. Lawrence, the St. Lawrence Ship Operators Association, and the mayor of Rivière-du-Loup all vigorously oppose this bills for the reasons I have just given. They demand a moratorium on Bill C-26. I agree and think the motions put forward by the Bloc Quebecois should be considered.