No. H171/05
For release August 5, 2005

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA ANNOUNCES
FURTHER MEASURES TO NORMALIZE
ACTION AT THE PORTS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

OTTAWA — Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre along with Industry Minister David L. Emerson today announced further action to speed up the recovery of normal operations at the Port of Vancouver and other ports in British Columbia.

The ministers announced that Cabinet has approved further action under Section 47 of the Canada Transportation Act, clearly directing the Vancouver Port Authority to follow through with its system of licensing for the delivery, pick-up or movement of containers at the port. This amendment provides further certainty for the port by directing it to prohibit access to those not complying with the licensing conditions.

Similar directions have been issued to the Fraser River Port Authority, thereby making clear the government’s commitment to regularize the movement of containers through ports in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.

"Today’s action makes it crystal clear that the Government of Canada expects normal operations to return to the ports," said Mr. Lapierre. "The Government of Canada is continuing to do everything it can to help settle the trucking dispute and return the Port of Vancouver to regular working order."

"We are very eager for both parties to be in agreement and to keep the economy moving," said Mr. Emerson. "I am very pleased to see that most brokers have now agreed to work with the Port of Vancouver and we call on the remaining holdouts to do so as well for the sake of the port and the economy."

The amendment imposes strict conditions on licensing systems at the two ports. It requires that licence applicants are signatories to the Memorandum of Agreement Between the Container and Trucking Companies and the Vancouver Container Truckers Association, dated July 29, 2005, and that they accept the dispute resolution process outlined in the memorandum of agreement. The governor-in-council has authorized the Vancouver Port Authority and the Fraser River Port Authority to prohibit access to those who do not meet these conditions.

The Government of Canada, together with the Province of British Columbia, appointed facilitator Vince Ready on June 30, 2005, in an effort to find an acceptable compromise between both parties and help end the trucking dispute. Further into the mediation, the federal Cabinet approved action under Section 47 of the Canada Transportation Act, which establishes a special and time-limited opportunity of 90 days for the parties and other interested groups to discuss and develop an agreement without risking violation of the Competition Act.

The Minister of Transport, in collaboration with the Federal Ministers of Labour and Industry and the Province of British Columbia, will establish a task force to review transportation and industrial relations issues underlying this dispute.

"In addition to taking this series of concrete actions to get the containers moving again, the Government of Canada is also determined to work with the Province of British Columbia to identify long-term solutions," said Mr. Lapierre.

- 30 -

Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.

This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.