Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. As you mentioned, I am the CEO at the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority. I've just recently joined it in the last seven months. I've assumed the role with a background of about 30 years in shipping and logistics. I hope to provide with a somewhat unique perspective on Bill C-33.

Today I'm speaking to you from the territory of the Lekwungen people, the Songhees Nation and the Esquimalt Nation, whose historical relationship with the land and the harbour continue to this day.

Why is the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority unique? Really it's unique because it's not a Canadian port authority, despite the name. In reality, Transport Canada remains the regulatory authority under the Canada Marine Act in the city of Victoria, which is an important nuance when considering the legislative amendments.

When the federal government divested these port assets over 20 years ago, there was an intent for GVHA to become a Canadian port authority, but a number of challenges persisted. Notwithstanding that, we now steward the majority of harbour infrastructure, including a number of marinas, facilities, water lots and a strategically located deepwater industrial terminal with four vessel berths, a warehouse and a large lay-down area. If you were to compare us with the existing 17 Canadian port authorities, we would be a mid-sized port in Canada according to revenue, vessel movements and physical infrastructure.

We are the number one destination port for cruise ships in Canada, with over 330 large cruise ships and about one million passengers visiting annually, over 100 commercial cargo ships every year, and we have several unique services, including wet docking, underwater cable storage and deployment and support for a large-scale ocean clean-up effort. We also steward several iconic assets, such as the lower causeway in front of the Fairmont Empress Hotel, Ship Point and the Breakwater.

The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority has a unique governance structure, including six member agencies representing local businesses and governments that are essentially shareholders and, most importantly, two rights-holders, the Songhees and Esquimalt first nations.

Much of the intent of Bill C-33 is supported, including the need to meaningfully engage indigenous peoples and local communities.

The GVHA has adopted these principles since its inception and it has facilitated a high degree of trust and the ability to pivot quickly for unexpected challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Having indigenous leaders as part of the GVHA's board of directors has led to several opportunities that may not have been possible previously. We also have advisory committees and a high level of interest and involvement with local community stakeholders.

Likewise, the proposed requirement to have climate change and climate adaptation plans and reporting makes eminent sense considering the vulnerability of ocean infrastructure and the supply chain and its importance to the well-being of the Canadian economy and Canadians. The Greater Victor Harbour Authority is in the process of developing both of these plans, including a resiliency strategy tied to sustainable finance and low-carbon trading opportunities to help reinvest in physical infrastructure to mitigate climate impacts. Our electrification strategy is now under way and includes both cruise and cargo shipping. We will be making an application for federal funding in the coming months and GVHA is a partner in the Pacific northwest green shipping corridor project.

The GVHA is actually strategically located to support a more efficient supply chain, reduce overall impacts on the environment and local communities, and support preparedness and responses to incidents involving commercial shipping.

With respect to the cumulative impacts from marine shipping, we are aware of the significant dialogue between the federal government, ports in British Columbia and local communities regarding the impacts from supply chain disruption. In this respect, the proposed amendments do not appear to be sufficiently robust to directly encourage regional port and waterway coordination and the efficient use of regional infrastructure. The management of vessel traffic should not be made in isolation and should leverage regional capabilities. For example, our four deepwater berths could support awaiting cargo exports from other ports, reducing carbon intensity and impacts on local communities.

Regardless of this weakness in the bill, we are working with partners to make this a competitive option and an advantage for exporters in the future. We would encourage the federal government to adopt this type of approach in its developing of the supply chain strategy.

Similarly, the Canada Marine Act should better leverage existing infrastructure to support contingency operations. In 2021 the GVHA played a pivotal role in the response to the Zim Kingstonfire, providing a base of operations for salvage operations.

In closing, I think the preamble of the Canada Marine Act identifies the need for a systems approach. This legislation could be strengthened in order to provide that systems approach.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

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