Chamber of Shipping Congratulates Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on re-election
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 22, 2021 /CNW/ - The Chamber of Shipping offers congratulations to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his re-election and congratulates all Members of Parliament, both newly elected and re-elected in their constituencies. The Chamber and its member companies look forward to continued engagement with Members of Parliament leading to solutions that are good for Canadians, Canadian businesses, and Canada's pristine coastal waters.
The Government of Canada has made significant strides in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting the health and safety of both the seagoing and shore-based marine transportation workforce. The focussed effort on facilitating crew changes, the movement of essential transportation workers, and the vaccinations of international seafarers remains critical to supporting trade and the success of Canadian importers and exporters.
We recognize the important strides that the Government of Canada has also made on the path to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. This includes practical programs such as Proactive Vessel Management, where Federal Departments work nation-to-nation with First Nations and collaborate with commercial marine industry partners to improve the protection afforded to waters in the vicinity of Indigenous communities and deconflicts waterway usage. It is hoped that this effort will continue to receive adequate resources and attention.
Moving forward, additional emphasis and resources should be allocated to addressing supply chain congestion that hurts Canadian businesses and our global competitiveness, and consequently impacts the environment. The Federal Government needs a transportation strategy that addresses bottlenecks, manages congestion, responds to disruptions, and supports volume fluctuations of key commodities. A collaborative and transparent approach that includes a review of port and waterway governance, performance and productivity, regulatory and administrative burdens is required. This should result in a comprehensive plan that will make Canadian trade more competitive and support Canada's climate change objectives. Previous reviews yielded insufficient results, missed core causes, and only developed marginal solutions to symptoms of congestion.
Our industry's track record of collaborating with the Federal Government includes identifying and implementing the highest standards relating to marine transportation safety and protection of the environment. The Chamber of Shipping and its members were instrumental in establishing a Conservation Agreement to protect endangered whales in partnership with Federal Departments. We look forward to working with the Government of Canada on improving marine transportation and supporting Canada's competitiveness in international trade.
About Chamber of Shipping
The Chamber of Shipping represents commercial ocean carriers, their agents in Canada, and shippers of commodities which trade internationally and domestically. Commercial shipping results in $30 billion of economic activity annually in Canada and moves more than $200 billion worth of goods to and from global markets. The marine transportation sector is vital to supporting Canadian trade, and Canada's continued prosperity and high standard of living depends on our ability to deliver resources, goods, and people in a responsible and competitive manner.
SOURCE Chamber of Shipping of British Columbia
Lais Gomez, Chamber of Shipping, T +1 604 681 2351, [email protected]
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