M-85 Vessel Arrival System

That:

(a) the House recognize that, (i) freighter parking in the Southern Gulf Islands, British Columbia, has increased dramatically since 2018, (ii) bulk freighters anchor in the Southern Gulf Islands due to supply-chain inefficiencies at the Port of Vancouver, and often make multiple trips back and forth between these locations, (iii) these supply-chain inefficiencies come with financial costs which are passed onto Canadian grain farmers, amounting to as much as $26 million per year according to reports, (iv) many of these freighters are exporting U.S. thermal coal that has been brought across the border for export because of bans on coal exports by the west coast U.S. states, (v) anchored freighters cause environmental damage to the Salish Sea ecosystem in addition to noise, light and dust pollution that is disruptive and harmful to local communities, (vi) several near-misses, and a freighter collision in March of 2020, highlight the threat of an environmentally devastating fuel spill posed by freighter anchorages, (vii) the government’s stated vision for the Port of Vancouver includes reducing anchorage use, promoting supply-chain efficiency, and mitigating the socio-environmental impacts of anchorages on Indigenous and local communities, but Transport Canada’s Interim Protocol for the Use of Southern B.C. Anchorages has failed to address these issues, (viii) the Vessel Arrival System mandated in Australia and the Just-in-Time shipping system mandated in Rotterdam have significantly reduced the use of anchorages, the amount of bunker fuel freighters needlessly burn and the amount of greenhouse gases they needlessly emit into the atmosphere when they race to port only to sit at anchor; and

(b) in the opinion of the House, the government should (i) mandate the implementation of a Vessel Arrival System at the Port of Vancouver to minimize the use and impact of anchorages, and facilitate effective and efficient trade, (ii) mandate the implementation of a Vessel Arrival System at other Canadian ports when the amount of freighter traffic warrants improvements in efficiencies.