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C-215 — An Act to amend the Marine Liability Act (national strategy respecting pollution caused by shipping container spills)
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C-215
An Act to amend the Marine Liability Act (national strategy respecting pollution caused by shipping container spills)
NDP
In progress
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BILL C-215
An Act to amend the Marine Liability Act (national strategy respecting pollution caused by shipping container spills)
Last activity : Outside the Order of Precedence
NDP
In progress
Commons · 1st2025-06-18Commons · 2ndCommons · 3rdSenate · 1stSenate · 2ndSenate · 3rdRoyal assent
Sign-in required — one request per person, no anonymous requests
What it does, in plain language
- Requires the Minister to develop and carry out a national strategy on pollution from shipping container spills, by amending the Marine Liability Act.
- Requires that Indigenous organizations be given a meaningful chance to take part in building the strategy.
- Orders an independent study on gaps in the current rules, salvage capacity, tracking of containers lost at sea, and the adequacy of ship manifest requirements.
- Directs that study to weigh the benefits of creating a fund to pay for cleanup and damages from containers lost at sea.
- Requires the study report to be tabled in both Houses of Parliament within the first 15 sitting days after it is finished.
- Requires the strategy to include prevention measures, better communication with coastal communities, monitoring and removal of debris, and funding for research on polystyrene and microplastics in the water.
- Sets up a joint spill response task force with federal and provincial governments, local authorities, Indigenous organizations, commercial fishing groups and non-governmental organizations.
- Sets a one-year deadline to table the strategy and its timeline in Parliament, followed by yearly progress reports starting in the second year, each posted on the Transport Canada website within 30 days of tabling.
🤖 AI-generated from the bill’s official text as introduced — may not reflect amendments adopted since.
✋ What does “challenging” mean?
Clicking “Ask for an explanation” is a citizen request for the bill's sponsor to explain it in plain language — and for us to keep an eye on it together.
An account (email) is required — one request per person, no anonymous requests. 🔥 At 1,000 requests on the same bill, a public post is made, in the hope an MP agrees to sponsor a petition to the House.
It works on any bill, including one that has already received royal assent — that is often the one people want to understand.
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Paired is not absent
In the Commons, two members from opposing sides can agree not to vote: their voices cancel out. It is neither an absence nor an abstention.
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