BILL C-61
Bill C-61, An Act to Amend the Canada Marine Act and other Acts, was introduced
in Parliament on 22 June 2005. For further information please see the following
links:
CMA REVIEW
The Report on the Review of the
Canada Marine Act (CMA) was tabled in Parliament on June
4, 2003, in accordance with the requirements of section 144 of the Act. Section
144 requires the Minister of Transport to complete a review of “the provisions
and operation” of the Act during the fifth year after it received Royal Assent
and to report back to both Houses of Parliament with the results. The CMA
received Royal Assent on June 11, 1998, and the review was completed in June
2003.
The Report on
the Review of the Canada Marine Act and a CD Rom containing all of the
written submissions to the review are available. You may obtain copies
of the CD Rom
and hard copies of the report by filling out the request
form.
BACKGROUND
On May 26, 2002, the Minister of Transport, announced the appointment
of a four-member expert Panel to undertake consultations with stakeholders and
to make recommendations based on these consultations to assist him in conducting
the review. The Panel travelled to eleven cities in seven provinces in the
course of their consultations and received over
140 written submissions.
The CMA was essential in streamlining marine legislation
related to services provided by the federal government in the marine sector. It
allowed for the establishment of port authorities and the continued divestiture
of certain harbour beds and port facilities. It also facilitated the
commercialization of the St. Lawrence Seaway, contained provisions for the
further commercialization of federal ferry services and aimed to improve the way
Pilotage Authorities operate in Canada.
The purpose of the review was to examine the issues that have arisen related to
the implementation of the CMA, with particular emphasis on the provisions of the
Act. It was also an opportunity to assess the functioning of the marine sector
under the new regime and to provide a forum for stakeholders to present their
views.
A
Guidance Document
was prepared to provide guidance to the Panel and to stakeholders on the review
of the CMA. It contains background information on how the CMA was developed, an
overview of the marine industry, and a summary of the main issues with respect
to the CMA that have been raised to date.
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