Madam Speaker, if the previous speaker from the Reform Party had not made the analogy of Gracie and George Burns and how to solve income tax problems, I would have listened with interest to all the other items he raised like Pearson airport. With that analogy he made every other financial and arithmetic calculation suspect. Perhaps we should rethink the numbers.
I thank my colleagues for allowing my amendments on Bill C-44 respecting the marine act and how it affects future transportation.
The act concerns ports and harbours, pilotage, the seaway and the Great Lakes. There is no question that the most critical aspect of the legislation is the restructuring of Canadian ports. The previous structure of the ports was not efficient and had some errors. Above all else the ports had to be restructured. The
legislation adequately addresses that point. I will talk about the harbours in a moment.
We could have done a little better with pilotage. Although we addressed some of the issues with respect to pilotage, I do not agree with the remarks of the Bloc Quebecois member in the transportation committee.
It was not an accommodation. It was an interest on the government side to make sure fundamental issues with respect to marine transportation would pass in this session. I am sure pilotage, as it particularly affects the Laurentian Pilotage Authority and pilotage on the Great Lakes, will be up for consideration as soon as we return to the House.
There is a debate on whether the seaway and the Great Lakes system should be exclusively with users or exclusively with a binational panel. Some of our recommendations concerned a combination of both. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system is made up of 15 locks that raise and lower ships. We must consider the physical mechanics of running locks adequately, especially in Canada with our diverse and severe weather conditions starting some time in early March and lasting usually until December 31. A binational panel could administer the locks and bring forward economies of scale that are necessary to keep our transportation modes competitive in Canada.
I want to discuss the harbour commissions in Canada. Unfortunately because of the legislation the harbour commissions have become a casualty. The harbour commissions have been a success story in the marine transportation history of Canada. All of them, from 1964 when the Harbour Commissions Act, the Toronto Harbour Commission Act and the Harbour Commissions Act of Hamilton were passed, were success stories in Canada.
I take this opportunity to thank all commissioners who have ever served on any harbour commission in Canada for their wonderful work, dedication and volunteerism. They ensured that their harbour commissions operated successfully and were to the benefit of all Canadians.
Harbour commissions will cease to be operative with the passage of this bill. The following harbour commissions will become port authorities: Fraser River Harbour Commission, the North Fraser River Harbour Commission, the Nanaimo Harbour Commission, the Oshawa Harbour Commission, the Port Alberni Harbour Commission, the Windsor Harbour Commission and the Thunder Bay Harbour Commission. I know the members of that commission today and its past members, all of whom have done a tremendous job.
My colleague from Broadview-Greenwood will speak to the Toronto Harbour Commission and how the legislation will help that commission unravel the log jam it has found itself in for many years. We expect great benefits for the Toronto Harbour Commission.
As one of my colleagues mentioned, unfortunately the Hamilton Harbour Commission chose not to participate in the legislation. Hopefully in the future it will see the wisdom of becoming a port in Canada with port structure and all its benefits. We encourage that commission to move quickly so that all ports will be under one administration, one regulatory control, with a common set of goals.
It is fundamental that most of us in the House are nation builders. We should be building a strong Canada. We should be building a unified Canada. We should be building an indivisible Canada. We do so through the legislation we debate in the House on a daily basis.
Sometimes it is important for all members to set aside our parochial interests to look at Canada as a whole. In this instance I hope all people involved in marine transportation would consider the importance of having one unified regulated system so that we can build the best marine transportation ever.
The goal of the transport ministry and the transport committee is to ensure that transportation costs are efficient and cost effective. If we achieve that goal the agricultural community, farmers and those who manufacture goods, have the ability to deliver products to customers in the United States, England or hopefully the emerging South American countries. By doing so they become more competitive than they were in past. That is good for all Canadians.
I yield the rest of my time to my colleague from Broadview-Greenwood.