Vancouver City Council

MOTION ON NOTICE

1. Security at Canada’s Ports

MOVER: Councillor Green
SECONDER: Councillor Louie

WHEREAS Transport Canada is proposing amendments to the regulations governing security at Canada's ports through amendments to Maritime Transport Security Regulations, and
WHEREAS Vancouver City Council supports port worker's concerns about port security and acknowledges the pro-active efforts of the waterfront unions to develop practical and cost-effective measures to achieve greater security, and
WHEREAS the new regulations would establish a dangerous precedent for arbitrary access to personal information through highly invasive background checks on the workers and their families, exposing them to loss of employment; and
WHEREAS the process for appeal under the proposed regulation is too narrow; and
WHEREAS the proper policing of Canada's ports has been eroded by the massive de-regulation of port security, shipping regulation, cargo checks and container loading and unloading over the last 20 years;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Vancouver City Council endorse the call of Vancouver waterfront employers and workers on Transport Canada to abandon the implementation of the gathering of invasive and arbitrary personal information on port workers and their families and address real port security risks by reinstituting the proper policing of Canada's ports; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this motion be forwarded to the UBCM and the FCM.

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