Mr. Speaker, I rise to present three petitions, two on the same topic from residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands.
The petitioners are calling for the legislation of a tanker ban on the west coast of British Columbia, not solely the northern portion but the entire west coast, to protect B.C.'s fisheries, tourism, coastal communities, and natural ecosystems.
The second petition is related but different. It focuses on the critical importance of protecting the resident southern killer whale population from imminent extinction by setting limitations on noise and disturbances at specific levels of decibels underwater. These are cetaceans that are extremely sensitive to noise, and increased tanker traffic imperils their very existence.