Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to table a petition from Canadians deeply concerned about the lack of international recycling and shipbreaking regulations in Canada, despite the fact that our country has the longest coastline in the world.
Petitioners highlight the harmful effects of unsafe ship-dismantling practices, which release dangerous substances into coastal areas, including copper and zinc, asbestos, PCBs and waste oils. They draw particular attention to Baynes Sound in British Columbia, an ecologically significant area that has been compromised by a ship-recycling operation. Residents, including children, are being put at risk simply by living next to these activities.
The petitioners therefore call upon the Government of Canada to adopt international standards, specifically the Hong Kong convention and the EU ship-recycling regulation, to ensure that ship recycling in this country is conducted safely, sustainably and in a way that protects our waters, our communities and our coastal heritage for generations to come.