Transport committee  There are lots of reasons that justify it.

Transport committee  Absolutely.

Transport committee  The economic reasons are about maintaining your customer base and developing new ones, so that makes sense. Do I have figures to give you? No, I don't. But in overall market access, it certainly makes sense to our customers to maintain the strictest safety regimes.

Transport committee  I am saying that. I don't want to speculate about any cuts to budget allocation and where that has happened, because there are efficiencies that have been gained as well. It's impossible for me to say that it can't be done or it can be done within the current framework. I will le

Transport committee  When you say risky, I'm going to make an assumption that we're talking about the consequences of a marine accident.

Transport committee  I'll start by saying that companies choose to voluntarily develop, implement, and maintain a safety management system because their customers demand it, quite frankly. It is a competitive advantage in our subsector of the industry. Market forces drive some of that, which is posit

Transport committee  It's been well over a decade. It's a mature system within our subsector of the Canadian marine industry. Some of our members do operate globally, so they are required by international regulations to have ISM compliance. It's a natural transition to take that international require

Transport committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and committee members, for the invitation to speak to you today on this very important topic. I am the president of the Canadian Shipowners Association, and I'm joined today by Ms. Debbie Murray, who is our director of policy and regulatory affa

International Trade committee  I don't, I'm sorry.

International Trade committee  The quick answer is I don't represent shipbuilders, but my impression of the Canadian shipbuilding industry is it's gaining its expertise and credibility for the long term and it will be a good thing for Canada.

International Trade committee  We'd like to think so. We would like more information about the agreement so we can make that accurate assessment.

International Trade committee  Yes.

International Trade committee  The busiest trade, or the most cargo volume, would be out of Duluth-Superior to Quebec City. It's significant, but there are new trades developing outside of the Great Lakes that are going to offer significant promise. I'm thinking out of Sept-Îles, for example, or some of the re

International Trade committee  It is correct insomuch as the largest Panamax-size container vessels will not be able to fit within the St. Lawrence Seaway, yes.

International Trade committee  The potential is there. Some of the details are unsure for us at the moment. I think the part that we are most aware about is being able to maintain both our capabilities and our labour force, which we invest in significantly to keep at a level to operate safely.