Mr. Speaker, the petitioners call upon this House to consider the urgent crisis in the collapsing numbers of the population of southern resident killer whales. They have been identified as an endangered population under Canada's Species at Risk Act. There have been numerous programs and promises put in place, but the southern resident killer whale population continues to lack adequate protection and would be far better protected when they swim across the border and are in the waters of Washington state, where the rules are more rigid, the regulations are enforced immediately and boaters and large marine craft are aware that they can be fined and ticketed as opposed to ignored when they violate whale protections on our side of the border.
The petitioners urgently ask the Minister of Transport to impose mandatory vessel distance regulations, just as is the case south of the border in Washington state.