Madam Speaker, this plan will create a world-leading marine safety system, including new preventive and response measures to better protect our waters and coasts; restore and protect marine ecosystem and habitats; and strengthen partnerships with indigenous communities.
For example, we are going to ensure the Canadian Coast Guard has the equipment and tools it needs to better protect our waterways. That means more rescue stations and towing capacity to respond more quickly and effectively to save lives and protect the environment. We will also be supporting new and better methods for cleaning up oil spills, building local emergency response capacity, and strengthening our ability to move goods and resources safely.
On November 29, 2016, we also announced that the government is delivering on its commitment to Canadians to formalize a moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on British Columbia's north coast. The Minister of Transport will be introducing legislation this year in order to provide a higher level of environmental protection for the Canadian coastline around Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait, and Queen Charlotte Sound. The moratorium area extends from the Canada-U.S. border in the north down to the point on B.C.'s mainland adjacent to the northern tip of Vancouver Island, and this also includes Haida Gwaii.
The moratorium will apply to the shipment of crude oil as defined by the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, but it will also apply to persistent oil products that are heavier and, when spilled, break up and dissipate slowly. These new initiatives will help us be better prepared and equipped to protect these sensitive coastal waters.