Canada's transportation minister is vowing to crack down on abandoned boats languishing in the country's oceans.
Marc Garneau says Ottawa will announce a new program soon that will support the removal of abandoned or wrecked boats posing a hazard in Canadian waters. That might be music to the ears of the New Democratic MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmith, Sheila Malcolmson who tabled a motion in Parliament calling for the federal government to act on the issue
Malcolmson says the announcement by the Liberal government is a good step forward, but wonders why it was left for so long.
"The Conservatives let the derelict vessel registration system fall totally into disrepair so it's really hard to find out who owns these boats. Plus honestly, unless an abandoned vessel is a problem for you, for your business, or for your waterfront, it’s kind of out of sight out of mind for the rest of the country, so it hasn't been a high priority."
In her government bill, Malcolmson has said vessels should be registered in the same way as vehicles are to ensure owners can't abandon them and leave them for someone else to clean up.