431-00087 (Environment)

Whereas:

• the seaway is an increasingly important economic driver for all of Canada;
• the upcoming opening of an aviation fuel terminal in Montreal East will increase shipping traffic;
• the tonnage of ships on the St. Lawrence River has increased considerably over the years;
• dredging work has been done by the federal government;
• the federal government terminated the Shoreline Protection Program in 1997;
• the government, by failing to act for more than 21 years, abdicated its responsibility for maintaining the shore protection works it constructed;
• erosion of the shores of the St. Lawrence, particularly in the Montreal–Lake Saint-Pierre segment, is worsening to an increasingly troubling degree as regards the environment, public safety and well-being, and property integrity.

We, the undersigned, call upon the House of Commons to direct the federal government to implement a program to protect the shores of the St. Lawrence River and take appropriate measures to stop their erosion and ensure a safe environment, including the following: regulations imposing a speed limit on vessels, depending on their type, and the construction and maintenance of shore protection works; the goal is to foster trust and cooperation between the federal government, seaway users and shoreline residents.