Canada
- As a founding member, Canada has been active in the IMO
since it began in 1948 and is a strong contributor to
several wide ranging issues at the IMO.
- We work with other member states and international
organisations to create and improve international shipping
standards, incorporating these into our laws and
regulations, such as the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 and
the Vessel Pollution and Dangerous Chemicals
Regulations.
- Canada has a long history of working closely with the IMO
to advance standards that promote maritime safety and
security, protect the environment and safeguard
seafarers. We have provided more than $600,000 in grant
funding since 2006 to the IMO’s International Maritime
Security Trust Fund. This contribution supported such activities as
sub-regional seminars on marine security, national marine security train-
the-trainer courses and regional workshops.
- We provided, in 2009, over $150,000 to reduce greenhouse gases from
shipping, namely through supporting the Second IMO Greenhouse Gas
Study and providing expert advice on market based measures.
- Ratified Annexes IV, V, VI of the International Convention for the
Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) (reducing pollution from
sewage and garbage; controlling air emissions from ships);
- More than 1,300 inspections take place on board foreign ships in
Canada’s ports each year, to ensure that they meet international safety,
security and environmental standards, and that crew members have
adequate living and working conditions.
- Canada also contributed to the safety of seafarers by ratifying the
International Labour Organization, Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.
The Convention sets out seafarers’ rights to decent work conditions and
helps to create conditions of fair competition for shipowners.
- Canada expresses its concerns about the escalations in
reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen that
threaten the free flow of commerce, endanger innocent
mariners and violate international law.
- Canada has joined the U.S led Combined Maritime Forces’
Operation Prosperity Guardian to safeguard ships
transiting the Red Sea and the adjoining Gulf of Aden. The
Canadian Armed Forces have deployed a handful of
personnel to the international task force.
- Canada shows its commitment to international marine safety through our:
o Flag State Control program, which helps ensure that Canada’s
vessels engaged on both domestic and international voyages, meet
the required standards; and
o promotion of safety management systems – an internationally
recognized approach to systematically reduce safety risks.
- With support from the permanent mission, Canada has led a number of
initiatives at the IMO, including:
- Creating the IMO's Gender Equality Network so members can exchange
and promote ideas to improve gender equality and empower women in
the maritime sector.
- Sponsoring an international technical workshop on quiet ship design to
promote action on underwater vessel noise.
- Hosting a reception focused on the mental health of seafarers to discuss
the challenges that they face.
- Organizing, in collaboration with the IMO and the International Oil
Pollution Compensation Funds, a workshop on the 2010 Hazardous and
Noxious Substances Convention.
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