Allistair MacGregor Reintroduces Bill C-305

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Alistair MacGregor Reintroduces Bill to Address Freighter Anchorages in The Salish Sea

NDP MP Alistair MacGregor reintroduced his legislation from the previous Parliament to amend the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 to prohibit the anchoring of freighter vessels using coastal waters along the Southern Strait of Georgia. The bill is widely supported among local stakeholders including First Nations, local government, and community activist groups and is seconded by Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Lisa Marie Barron.

Over the past several years, community groups and First Nations tribes have made repeated calls to Transport Canada to protect ancient clam beds, prawns, oysters, and endangered species, such as the southern resident killer whale, from the environmental impact of the anchored shipping vessels.

The waters in the southern Strait of Georgia have been recognized as worth protecting by the federal government as a part of its process in establishing a National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA). Referencing coordinates used by Parks Canada, MacGregor’s Private Member’s Bill C-305 An Act to amend the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 (anchorage prohibition) aims to prohibit large freighters from anchoring in the waters to be designated as a future NMCA.

“Two years ago, I introduced Bill C-250 to address the issue of freighter anchorages in the Salish Sea. Regretfully, coastal residents, local First Nations, and conservation groups continue to plead with Transport Canada and the Vancouver Port Authority to find solutions to this problem,” said MacGregor. “The federal government has been dragging its heels on this issue, and Vancouver Island coastal communities deserve to have their voices heard in Ottawa.”

“It’s a shame that I find myself saying this again,” said MacGregor. “If the federal government values these waters enough to establish a National Marine Conservation Area, then they also deserve protection from being used as an overflow industrial parking lot for the Port of Vancouver.”

Bill C-305 (Full Text) https://www.parl.ca/ DocumentViewer/en/44-1/ bill/C-305/first-reading

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