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Speech

Donald Roussel
Director General, Marine Safety
Transport Canada

Annual General Meeting and Conference of the
Canadian Power & Sail Squadrons

Windsor, Ontario
October 23, 2008

Good morning,

It’s an honour and a pleasure to be here today to partake in the celebration of the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons’ 70th Anniversary. On behalf of Transport Canada Marine Safety, I’ve been asked to provide you with an update on Office of Boating Safety activities. These activities include the Pleasure Craft Operator Competency Program, the Pleasure Craft Courtesy Check Program, the Boating Safety Class Contribution Program, and the National Recreational Boating Advisory Council.

Let me begin with the Pleasure Craft Operator Competency Program, which was established to reduce the number of boating safety incidents through education and training. As you know, we introduced amendments to the Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations in June 2007 to address public concerns about inconsistencies in the process of obtaining a Pleasure Craft Operator Card. These amendments led to the establishment of a national course provider monitoring system. I’m pleased to report that these inconsistencies have been reduced significantly since we’ve instituted the national monitoring system.

We will continue to monitor and observe the activities of Course Providers using this monitoring system and will follow-up on any complaints regarding the Operator Competency Program, in an effort to continue to improve the overall delivery of the Program.

Is it perfect? - by no means. But, we continue to make great progress. In fact, the major focus of our efforts now is finalizing a new Accreditation Framework for Course Providers that features a Quality Management System.

We have worked very hard to develop an accreditation system that strikes a balance between:
· Transport Canada’s need to address particular problems and concerns;
· the Course Providers’ desire not to be further over-burdened; and
· the Canadian public’s need for a reliable, accessible, and valuable service.

We’re confident this new accreditation system will not only result in a consistent standard of services across all course provider organizations, but it will also result in a higher level of safety and responsibility among all pleasure craft operators on Canadian waterways. We’re just about to head into consultations with Course Providers on the requirements, tools, processes and policies, related to this new Accreditation Framework.

And that's not all. The national database system is entering the final production phase, and we expect to initiate repatriation of existing cardholder information sometime in the New Year. Connected to the database will be the ability for course providers to access a Transport Canada databank of boating safety test questions. We’ve already developed the new questions, which are currently under review. Plans are underway for piloting those questions in the very near future, to ensure that they are an accurate measure of a candidate’s boating safety knowledge.

So, as you can see, there are many exciting developments in the Operator Competency Program. However, we do face a significant challenge -- that is September 15, 2009 – the deadline for all pleasure craft operators to carry a proof of competency. We know that many boaters -- an estimated 2 to 4 million -- have been waiting for the last minute to obtain their proof of competency, despite the ten-year phase-in. That’s why we’re advising all accredited course providers to prepare now for the large amount of boaters needing to obtain their Pleasure Craft Operator Card.

And while it's going to be a busy time ahead, we urge Course Providers to focus on the reason the competency requirement was implemented in the first place -- it's about safety on our waters. Yes, knowledge of basic boating safety is a regulatory requirement to operate a pleasure craft. But, it is much more than that. It's about creating an environment where safety plays an integral and normal part of the pleasure boating experience -- you could perhaps say, part of the culture and lifestyle of pleasure boating. And the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons is a vital a part of building the culture of safety in recreational boating.

The Office of Boating Safety has engaged the services of the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons to help it more effectively deliver its prevention-based programs to recreational boaters across Canada, such as the national delivery of the Pleasure Craft Courtesy Check Program. Currently, the Pleasure Craft Courtesy Check Program is managed on a regional basis. However, the Office of Boating Safety wants to enhance program consistency, by analyzing program data from a national perspective. The intent is to use data gathered from courtesy checks in each region to determine which aspects of boating safety we should focus on nationally. The Office of Boating Safety developed a bubble scan form to collect this data, which will allow it to better target areas that require more effort across the country. The content of this form will soon be revised to reflect amendments to the Small Vessel Regulations.

I’ve talked about education, training and prevention programs. Now what is Marine Safety doing to raise awareness in the area of boating safety?

In June 2008, Transport Canada Marine Safety received approval to establish a five-year Boating Safety Class Contribution Program, which will provide funding up to $1,000,000 until March 31, 2013. In general terms, the Program’s overall goal is to promote boating safety in Canada, by providing financial support through projects that focus on increasing general public awareness of the importance of following safe boating practices. More specifically, the Program’s objectives are to improve the safety of waterways and the safety of operators for recreational vessels and small boats in Canada by:

  • raising public awareness to increase the level of pleasure craft following safe boating practices;
  • improving national boating incident data quality and collection systems to support evidence-based awareness and education initiatives, and
  • contributing to the reduction in loss of life, injuries, and property damage, due to boating accidents.

The Program was developed to offer eligible applicants the opportunity to submit project proposals that support its objectives, as well as meet the Office of Boating Safety priorities. Due to the late approval of the program, the Office of Boating Safety recognized that since the majority of the organizations expected to submit project proposals conduct the bulk of their work between May and September, it was unlikely that any project proposals would be received and processed for this past 2008 boating season. Therefore, $200,000 was re-profiled to the remaining 4 years of the Program. An amount of $250,000 will be available annually, for distribution commencing on April 1, 2009 until March 31, 2013. This amount will be reviewed on an annual basis and will be subject to departmental priorities and may be adjusted as needed. The Office of Boating Safety provided Chief Commander Cole with a copy of the Applicants’ Guide to assist your organization with the application process. The deadline for project submission is November 30, 2008.

Many Transport Canada programs, such as the one I’ve mentioned so far, are examples of how Transport Canada shared the responsibility of safety with the recreational boating community. They are the results of continual consultations and strong collaboration with partner organizations like you.

The National Recreational Boating Advisory Council is one such venue through which Transport Canada Marine Safety seeks strategic advice from its members on all matters related to the safety of recreational boating, the safe operation of recreational boats, the safe and environmentally friendly use of recreational waterways and any other issue of interest. Following comments received during the previous National Recreational Boating Advisory Council meeting, which was held in Toronto on January 16 – 17, 2008, the Terms of Reference were revised and approved this summer. Council members were requested to submit nominations for four National Stakeholder positions. The selection criteria for a National Stakeholder appointment is based on expertise, diversity of the industry, and the physical geography of recreational boating in Canada. I am pleased to say that Chief Commander Cole was nominated. A selection board will be formed to appoint the four National Stakeholders for a three-year membership.

Now for a little bit of legislative update. Under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, the Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations, which came into force on April 30, 2008, replaced the Boating Restriction Regulations. The Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations apply to all craft and provide for the establishment of restrictions to boating activities and navigation in Canadian waters, such as speed limits, prohibition of vessels, and restrictions on water-skiing. Restrictions will be published through the Regulations on a yearly basis. I should add that the river rafting provisions were moved to the Special-purpose Vessels Regulations, which also came into force on April 30, 2008.

As you may already know, the new Small Vessel Regulations are expected to come into force mid 2009. A new edition of the Safe Boating Guide will be released in January 2009, to reflect amendments to the Small Vessel Regulations, which are expected to come into force mid 2009. You can sign up through the Office of Boating Safety website to receive an electronic notification of its released, as well as to receive website updates automatically.

Transport Canada Marine Safety considers the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons to be important contributors to enhancing boating safety. We can both achieve this by combining our efforts in increasing awareness and knowledge of safe boating by educating and training members and the general public, by fostering fellowship among members, and by establishing partnerships and alliances with organizations and agencies interested in boating safety. It is through a spirit of partnership and cooperation that we can work together toward meeting our common objectives. We are very proud that the Office of Boating Safety is an integrated part of the Marine Safety organization. It makes a valuable contribution to Marine Safety’s broad knowledge base and resources, which are necessary to help us achieve our objectives.

I look forward to our continuing collaboration, and I thank you very much for the opportunity to address you today.

Have a great conference!

Date modified:
2010-01-14