"Ratifying these conventions will demonstrate Canada’s commitment to adopting uniform international standards for maritime safety and protecting the marine environment," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon.

The following International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions will be ratified:

• Annexes IV, V and VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) (reduced pollution from sewage and garbage; control of air emissions from ships);
• The International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships, 2001 (limits on environmentally harmful paints);
• The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (control of invasive species in the water)
• The Protocol of 1988 relating to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974 (harmonized system of surveys and certification);
• The Protocol of 1988 relating to the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966 (harmonized system of surveys and certification with respect to ship load levels);
• The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel, 1995; and
• The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (working conditions on ships, including hours of work and rest; health protection and medical care; and standards of accommodation).

Several of these conventions are now in force internationally and have been adopted by Canada’s major trading partners.

Ships carry most world trade and about half of Canada’s trade. At any given time, the majority of vessels in Canadian waters are foreign-flagged.

It is therefore very important to have effective tools to regulate foreign vessels operating in our waters in order to protect the marine environment, and ensure Canadian ports and waterways operate safely and efficiently, according to the federal government.

Specifically, the International Maritime Organization conventions will make a tangible contribution to reducing marine pollution from ship sewage, garbage and environmentally harmful paints; controlling atmospheric emissions from ships; and improving ballast water management (to reduce the risk of releasing invasive aquatic species into Canadian waters).

Pollution relating to international shipping has become a major concern in recent years. A recent study by the University of Delaware has linked pollution-related illness and mortality to emissions of seafaring vessels.

Approximately 60,000 lung- and heart-related deaths in 2002 were linked to the pollution and chemicals emitted by large shipping freighters in the study. According to the researchers, these deaths were due to the poor regulation of the shipping industry on fuel standards.

In the last couple of decades, the international community has taken steps to reduce other environmental hazards and greenhouse gases, but the shipping industry has been left largely unregulated. For example, emissions released by the diesel fuel in ships have risen, while for buses and trucks the levels have been reduced by almost 90 percent.

To give perspective to the scale of the pollution problem from shipping, Fred Pearce, environmental consultant to New Scientist and an award-winning science writer says just 16 of the world’s largest ships can produce as much lung-clogging sulfur pollution as all the cars in the world.

Super-vessels use as much power as small power stations because they have colossal engines that can burn the cheapest, filthiest, high-sulfur fuel that is in fact residues left behind in refineries after lighter liquids are taken.

The conventions were tabled in the House of Commons on October 9, 2009, followed by a period of 21 sitting days to inform members of Parliament and to give the House of Commons an opportunity to comment on the treaties. The 21 sitting days ended on November 23, 2009, and the government will now proceed to bring them into force.

Canada has been a key participant in the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is the United Nations body responsible for promoting the highest practicable standards in maritime safety, efficiency of navigation and prevention, and control of marine pollution from ships.