When the federal election was called, John Weston’s Private Member’s Bill to make abandoning a boat a criminal offence was thrown overboard.
In the final weeks of his bid to retain his seat as the Conservative MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, his party threw it a lifeline.
On Tuesday, federal ministers James Moore and Stockwell Day stood next to Weston on the shores of the Burrard Inlet to announce that Weston’s bill was now part of the party’s election platform.
As well, the Conservatives say that if they are elected to govern Canada on October 19, they will allocate $1 million a year, beginning in 2016-17, to cover one-third of the cost of removing derelict vessels and improve tugboat capacity for the West Coast.
Their plan also includes a Canadian Coast Guard Environmental Response Office and Pollution Response Vessel in Vancouver.
Weston says he was first made aware of the issue during a visit to Mannion Bay with islander Bruce Russell, who has long lobbied for rules to govern the use of Bowen Island’s waters. When the NDP put forward a bill on the subject, Weston went against his party by supporting it. When that bill was defeated, he drafted his own. It passed first reading but died on the table when the election was called.
“Addressing the issue was not a popular or high priority item with most elected officials but at least John gave it the attention it deserved,” Russell said in an email. “While somewhat of a voice in the wilderness he stuck with it for which we are most appreciative.
“He had a first-hand knowledge of the significance of the problem in such a highly occupied, popular iconic area as Mannion Bay which is of significant economic importance to our community. He understood, he cared and he acted. Good on him.”
In an email, Bruce Russell notes that “addressing the issue was not a popular or high priority item with most elected officials but at least John gave it the attention it deserved.“
Currently, such vessels are removed by the Coast Guard or Ministry of Transportation if there is an imminent risk of environmental damage or if they are obstructing navigation. Weston’s Private Member’s Bill that makes it a criminal offence to abandon a boat, subject to jail time and fines of up to $100,000.
Weston had previously supported the NDP’s proposed Bill ….. , going against his own Party’s stance.
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