Transport committee  The industry is getting more and more active in spreading the good word on that and in attracting people to the training facilities. However, these training facilities are in a tough spot where provinces see these seafaring careers as a federal obligation and they often tell them

Transport committee  The number of seamen on board has already been reduced over the past few years. We are already using technology. What improvements need to be made would come from amending the regulations so that they are as up to date as the technology on board the ships. What's more, you would

Transport committee  On the dwelling time at ports, I think we talked about data sharing and automation. There are definitely things that can be done. Port members have been working hard at lining up trucks with cargo more quickly. Investment in new technologies can definitely help in reducing wait t

Transport committee  Recruitment for every position on the ships is critical, and that's from the cook to your ordinary seaman, not to mention the more specialized trades. All job categories are currently in demand. No one has a surfeit of workers. It can take up to five months to train a seaman and

Transport committee  Our members had to abide by the regulations in place during the COVID‑19 pandemic. This period was more difficult for sailors on board ships, because they couldn't go offshore when their vessels were docked. A large proportion of our workers were quickly vaccinated and followed p

Transport committee  The Canadian Marine Industry Foundation is exactly that. It's dedicated to spreading the good word about the industry and doing outreach to indigenous communities and to people who are not necessarily represented in the industry. The industry is very much active in its outreach.

Transport committee  You have plenty of industries in this country that rely on marine shipping of bulk cargo. I mean, take the iron ore that goes through Hamilton to be made into car parts. Take the grain farmers from the west who are relying on it for their exports. In the event that this shipping

Transport committee  I think there are solutions out there, and they are being implemented. I think the Ukrainian example is one that works very well. I know from my members that we have 20 to 30 seafarers who came this year because Transport Canada basically sealed a deal with Ukraine on recognizing

Transport committee  I think the industry would look favourably upon measures that would encourage people who are getting close to retirement or who are already past the age of retirement to carry on. We certainly have an aging workforce. Often, the more workers are specialized, the older they are;

Transport committee  Our industry is at the forefront of automation. The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, for example, no longer moors ships with people, but rather with suction cups. This has helped the corporation to contend with departing workers. There are machines that are making up f

Transport committee  I'll definitely second that. Having a secretariat that would work with several departments that are involved in the supply chain and in solving issues as they come is a great idea. It needs to be provided resources to take place. That's the key part. We need to follow up on the r

Transport committee  It's about being known by the general population, I think. Recent surveys by SODES in Quebec showed that about 40% of the population is unaware of the sector completely. If you translate that to young Canadians, or Canadians looking for a second career, they're mostly in that cat

Transport committee  Do you mean in regard to investment for new technologies?

Transport committee  I know for sure that the Port of Montreal is heavily investing in new technology. It's expanding its container terminal, for instance. It's something that ports are aware of, but they do have limits in terms of their investment capacity. That's because of the act that governs t

Transport committee  To that I would say that we would need some intervention, to an extent, to provide for labour to continue in the event of disruptions. That's something that's happened in the past. It affects the reputation of a port. Once a port goes through several labour issues, it can affect