Transport committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, honourable members of the committee. I'm very pleased to make a presentation to this committee on the proposed amendments to the Canada Marine Act as contained in Bill C-23. This suite of amendments recognizes the underlying impo

Transport committee  Sure, I would be quite pleased to. I guess there are a couple of elements in your question, and I'll deal with them systematically. First of all, with respect to access to contribution funding for these capital projects—and we have singled out specific areas, no doubt—we would

Transport committee  That ports will not...?

Transport committee  Well, now they're not competing for any funds whatsoever. Some of their partners may be eligible for some of those funds, but port authorities are not, and that has been a real impediment. It's an issue that has been raised with regard to their competitive ability relative to oth

Transport committee  Indeed, you're absolutely correct, it's an issue that we've considered very carefully and seriously over the years, because it has been raised by various interests, not just the port authorities but those that use the ports and those that benefit from the cargo that is either imp

Transport committee  If we are talking about the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes—in some cases, goods that move through the St. Lawrence in fact move through the Great Lakes, as you know—the market has different dimensions. I will begin by answering your question on which ports might benefit

Transport committee  Some use the term “cabotage”, but it has different connotations. Let us talk instead about short sea shipping. There are people assessing the potential of the Great Lakes, where there is a huge market for container transport, for example. St. Lawrence seaway officials, together

Transport committee  That depends on the board. There are some ports that have some flexibility in their borrowing limit. Others have almost reached their limit. However, only the three largest ports would have more freedom on the international trade market. The others are nonetheless subject to the

Transport committee  We could find out and get back to you. In fact, you can find this information in the notes in your folder. But we can find the information and let you know, if you like.

Transport committee  The last point you raised, if I may, is on the St. Lawrence Seaway. As you know, the federal government still owns the infrastructure. In 10 years, almost $300 million—$295 million, I believe—has been invested to maintain that infrastructure, under another program. But the seaway

Transport committee  A large part of the recently released study on the Seaway and the Great Lakes had to do with potential new markets on the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Transport committee  No, not this bill, but it is certainly related.

Transport committee  I'll approach it by virtue of what the ports indicate their capital investment plans are over the next five years. We can verify this, but the last time we did a compilation, I do believe it was close to $1 billion. I will confirm the exact amount, because it will depend on when

Transport committee  Once again, it would depend on what their board of directors determined. There may be no change whatsoever. They may decide they wish to stay within the current regime and their current borrowing limit, if that limit is sufficient; or they may choose to go to the more commerciall

Transport committee  Sir, the port authorities are, if you will, commercially autonomous. It's their board of directors that determines what their capital plans are. We do track the sorts of things that go on. We do hear from port authorities, from time to time, what their projects are. In some cas