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4. Statement by Pierre Poilievre, on ballast water management for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

Statement by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Pierre Poilievre, on ballast water management for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

HS007/11
For release - November 17, 2011

OTTAWA — Parliamentary Secretary Pierre Poilievre has been asked by the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, to advise the Minister on ballast water management for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System. Today, the parliamentary secretary issued the following statement:

"Our government's top priority is the economy, and we are very concerned about New York State's upcoming unachievable ballast water requirements for the St. Lawrence Seaway, impeding Canada's domestic trade, as well as our trade with the United States of America. The new requirements could affect almost $11 billion in business revenue and over 72,000 jobs on both sides of the border.

"Because of potentially far-reaching effects on the environment and the economy, Canada has strong rules and regulations in place that will reduce the risk of aquatic species invasions. In fact, there have been no new species attributed to ballast water reported in the Great Lakes since 2006.

"On Friday, I will travel to New York to speak with state officials and marine industry stakeholders regarding upcoming requirements for ballast water for the St. Lawrence Seaway that are unattainable."

"The issue of New York ballast water regulations threatens jobs on both sides of the border," added Minister Lebel. "Parliamentary Secretary Poilievre will focus efforts on this crucial subject. I look forward to regular updates as he advances this file."

More information on ballast water can be found at
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/mediaroom/backgrounders-b11-hs007-6535.htm.

Reminder: Parliamentary Secretary Poilievre will be available via teleconference to answer questions on this issue at 11:00 a.m. (EST). Please call Transport Canada Media Relations to be part of the teleconference.

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Date modified:

2011-11-18

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