Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to speak to this bill, especially since, as the Bloc Quebecois transport critic, this subject is of particular concern to me.
We all know—members of Parliament and viewers alike—that shipping and environmental protection are closely linked if not intertwined. Immense container ships are now being built in Korea that can carry some 5,000 or 5,500 containers, I believe.
There are two major container ports in Canada. The port of Montreal and the port of Halifax. Halifax is number two. It is not too happy about this, but the strategic position of the port of Montreal has made it, over the years, the hub of container transport.
Members will understand what I am getting at regarding this bill. From the time the Bloc Quebecois arrived here in 1993 with 54 members—there were nine founding members—we have supported mandatory pilotage in Canada.
I am, of course, talking about pilotage on the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes, but also across Canada, because there are mandatory pilotage zones in the Pacific region and in other regions of the maritimes.
Why? Not because we wanted to be outrageous or for the pleasure of it, but we were wondering whether Canada could afford a second Exxon Valdez, given what had happened in Alaska.
With today's constraints in shipping, vessels are ever bigger and their cargo is ever more dangerous. If these foreign and Canadian vessels cannot be guided in by experienced pilots, the risks to the environment are considerable. The shipping lobby in Canada is very powerful, financially speaking, because the major shipping companies contribute to the campaign funds of the Liberal and Progressive Conservative parties.