Madam Speaker, the Coast Guard's men and women on the water just two weekends ago acted quickly when a 100-foot, 90-year-old vessel, the Anapaya, started to sink in Ladysmith Harbour. This is a vessel that had been identified in 2014 by Transport Canada as a vessel of concern, but nothing was done. When the vessel sank, and it still sits on the bottom of Ladysmith Harbour, it was Coast Guard employees who boomed it and prevented an oil spill from getting worse.
I am hoping that the government will hear the public pressure from coastal communities and enact an abandoned vessel legislation regime that is full and reflects what coastal communities have been asking for for 15 years. The minister's announcement today was a very good first step, but it does not deal with pleasure craft or with the backlog and problems with vessel registration.
I am hoping for the government's assurance that it will hear coastal communities' full concerns on abandoned vessels.