Chamber of Shipping Applauds Amendments to the Pilotage Act

VANCOUVER, April 11, 2019 /CNW/ - With an emphasis on good governance and adapting with emerging technologies, the Government of Canada's proposed amendments to the Pilotage Act deliver long-awaited changes. Wrapped into the Budget Implementation Act, the amendments to the Pilotage Act follow an extensive review chaired by Mr. Marc Grégoire and adopt several key recommendations tabled in the final report. Bill C-97 addresses several themes, including centralization of regulatory powers and standardization, increased transparency, and necessary powers of enforcement. The Chamber of Shipping applauds these changes and supports the improvements that they will have on the safety, efficiency, and overall competitiveness of the industry.

"Canada's pilotage framework is executed by a team of professional mariners that is second to none. These recent amendments will enhance safety and competitiveness at a time when marine transportation faces new pressures for coastal protection," stated the Chamber's President, Robert Lewis-Manning. "We encourage the Federal Government to focus effort on modernizing Canada's pilotage to be more flexible and better support conservation objectives, including species at risk, while ensuring the competitiveness for Canadian imports and exports."

As the maritime industry has been challenged with the existing pilotage framework, we applaud the Government of Canada with its decision to move forward with modernizing the Pilotage Act with the most substantive amendments since 1972. The Chamber and its members will remain engaged stakeholders and look forward to working with Transport Canada and Pilotage Authorities in further enhancements to Canada's pilotage framework.

About Chamber of Shipping
The Chamber of Shipping represents commercial carriers and their agents in Canada which trade internationally and domestically. The marine transportation sector is vital to supporting Canadian trade and our continued prosperity and high standard of living depend on our ability to deliver resources, goods, and people in a responsible and competitive manner. Canada remains a strong trading nation, with one in five Canadian jobs and more than 60 per cent of our gross domestic product directly linked to exports.

SOURCE Chamber of Shipping of British Columbia