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Introduction

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Transport Canada's Marine Safety program performs a key role in Canada's marine transportation system. We develop and enforce a safety and environmental protection framework for all segments of the domestic and foreign marine industries as well as the recreational boating community. We also protect the public right to navigation within navigational waters in Canada. How? We collaborate with partner organizations such as domestic and international industry associations, labour unions, special interest groups, marine training institutions, classification societies, and federal, provincial and municipal governments and agencies. The public greatly benefits from our services.

On December 12, 2003 all marine safety policy and regulatory responsibilities were consolidated under Transport Canada, allowing the Canadian Coast Guard to maintain its focus on operations and service delivery. This means that policy and operations related to pleasure craft safety, navigable waters protection, marine navigation and pollution prevention and response now rest with Transport Canada's Marine Safety program as follows:

Pleasure Craft Safety

  • Small Vessel Regulations; Boating Restriction Regulations; Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations; and Pleasure Craft Sewage Pollution Prevention Regulations.

Marine Navigation Services

  • Vessel Traffic Services Zones Regulations; Eastern Canada Vessel Traffic Services Zone Regulations; Private Buoy Regulations; and Aids to Navigation Protection Regulations.

Pollution Prevention and Environmental Response

  • Managing the National Aerial Surveillance Program (which focuses on pollution surveillance); approving ship source pollution prevention and response plans on board large commercial vessels and oil handling facility response plans; certifying response organizations and monitoring their activities and exercises; the establishment of a Hazardous and Noxious Substances Regime; and administering the Bulk Oil Cargo fee.

Navigable Waters Protection Act

  • Navigable Waters Works Regulations; Navigable Waters Bridges Regulations; Ferry Cable Regulations; and Receiver of Wreck.

These new responsibilities prompted the Marine Safety executive management committee to update its 2003-2010 strategic plan, The New Wave. Although the program successfully achieved some of its objectives, it is clear that some are ongoing and new challenges are constantly emerging. With these challenges in mind, the Marine Safety executive management committee developed a new planning framework to guide future decision-making, performance measurement and resource allocation. The planning framework, once incorporated into the planning and reporting cycle, will identify the links between our resources, activities, key outputs and expected results.

This current strategic plan, entitled The New Wave, reflects the government's modern comptrollership philosophy, articulates the Marine Safety program's key results for 2009 to 2015 and outlines the strategic objectives chosen to achieve our mission in the context of the challenges and opportunities at hand.

Implementing this strategic plan will allow us to continue to build the tools and procedures necessary to provide managers with integrated financial and non-financial performance information, a sound approach to risk management, appropriate control systems and a shared set of values and ethics. It is about working smarter for better results: better informed decisions, better public policies and better service delivery. It is about effective stewardship of resources of all types throughout the federal government, and about paying greater attention to getting results for Canadians.

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Date modified:
2010-01-14