Madam Speaker, I wish to reaffirm this government's commitment to protecting Canada's marine and coastal areas, while also improving marine safety. These are important elements of the mandate letters of the Ministers of Transport, Fisheries and Oceans, and Environment and Climate Change. We take very seriously our evidence-based approach to decision making and understand that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand. I want to assure members that we are aware of the interest in this issue from across the country.
It is clear that coastal communities in British Columbia, Quebec, and in the Atlantic region consider the issue of abandoned and derelict vessels and wrecks as one that negatively affects their enjoyment of their local marine environment. Several of these communities have gone so far as to endorse resolutions calling on federal action to address this problem, including with new legislation. We are aware of the issues these vessels of concern can present to the marine environment, safe navigation, public health and safety, and to the local economies.
In May of this year, this government spoke in support of private member's Motion No. 40, which lays out a comprehensive approach to begin to effectively address this issue. Motion No. 40 supports our government's commitment to protect Canada's freshwater resources and oceans. It proposes that the government addresses gaps in existing authorities.
This a complex, multi-jurisdictional issue at the nexus between safety, environmental, and commercial interests. We will have a comprehensive plan soon. There will not be a vote by vote approach. We need to ensure we have in place a prevention regime that is solid before focusing extensive efforts on remediation. We are carefully examining best practices from other jurisdictions, such as Washington state's derelict vessels removal regime, and are looking at how best to adapt them to the Canadian context.
In the meantime, the Canadian Coast Guard is managing the environmental risks and Transport Canada is managing the navigation and safety risks. In addition, Transport Canada created an abandoned boats and wrecks web page in May 2015 to strengthen owner awareness of their responsibilities regarding vessel end-of-life management and enhance accessibility of information for the public.
Our government's support of Motion No. 40 clearly signals our intent to move forward with concrete action to tackle the issue. We are currently studying a number of options. We are exploring measures to prevent owners from abandoning their vessels in the first place. We need to engage stakeholders to ensure we get it right. We are working with our partners in enhancing consultations with provinces which also have an important role to play.
I wish to reiterate that this government takes the issue of abandoned vessels and wrecks very seriously and we will have more to say on this in the coming months.