Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Hanley. As Mr. Brickett and Mr. Henderson pointed out, this is an area in which we can continue to evolve and develop our internal regulations. We look forward to working with the Coast Guard on their after action report and taking those lessons learned away and further using them to enhance the already strong regulatory marine framework within Canada.

Fisheries committee  I apologize if that was what was heard. It was not up to us to legislate with respect to shipping; it was more with respect to telling masters of ships where they must go in the face of inclement weather. In terms of a regulatory framework for ensuring the protection of both the navigation system and the environment, we have the Canada Shipping Act, 2001.

Fisheries committee  With respect to all of our regulations, we put the safety of both the navigational safety system and the environment front and foremost and make those two aspects key priorities.

Fisheries committee  Thank you for that question, Mr. Hanley. I'd like to turn it over to my colleague Mr. Marier.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, our regulations focus on the safety aspects in ensuring the navigational safety and the environmental protection of all marine shipping activities. However, as Mr. Henderson just pointed out, we would look to the experience and expertise of the masters to navigate their ships appropriately in stormy seas.

Fisheries committee  I would have to take that question away and report back through the chair with the specific answers on the details with respect to the integrity of the seals on the container, unless my colleagues from Coast Guard have that information available.

Fisheries committee  To answer your question, yes, there are international conventions and regulations that specifically address the safety framework around container traffic and shipping. Some [Technical difficulty—Editor] International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, the International Convention for Safe Containers, and the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code.

Fisheries committee  To answer, yes, there certainly are rules in place with respect to how high containers can be stacked. This is governed under the International Convention for Safe Containers. That provides information related to the safety plate permanently attached to each container that would—

Fisheries committee  I might turn to my colleague, Naim Nazha, the executive director of environmental affairs and navigation safety, to respond to that question.

Fisheries committee  Good morning, Mr. Chair and committee members. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in your study on marine cargo container spills. I would like to begin by providing a brief overview of the international and domestic legal framework governing the safe carriage of marine cargo containers in Canada.