Pour la version en français, veuillez appuyer ici. 

Response to Transport Canada’s Marine Emergency Response Regulations Consultation

Local Capacity Building and National Coordination  

Read the CAFC’s full submission here.

Read the original discussion paper here.

In February 2025, the federal government opened consultation on Transport Canada’s Marine Emergency Response Regulations. CAFC was pleased to partake in this consultation and to share our submission above.

CAFC’s response was developed with the support of the Board and National Advisory Council members, as well as member fire departments who serve Canada's largest ports.

The thrust of the submission is general support for the proposed regulations, noting that there are both broader contextual as well as specific operational considerations needed to bring the proposed intentions to life. Local fire departments are almost always the source of firefighters to marine emergencies, provide up to 16 all hazard response services, and often have no further additional resources to serve this specialized industry other than the municipal tax base. The submission helps remind Transport Canada of the roles of fire departments in marine emergencies, many of who are often the Authority Having Jurisdiction and end up with a legislated responsibility to either provide training for whatever firefighters are dispatched to or decline service.

Response expectations, call and climate complexities, coordination needs, and financial pressures on fire departments are all compounding, placing enormous pressures for training, equipment and trained personnel. CAFC has asked the federal government to install (1) a National Fire Administration that would enable coordination with and between federal departments and fire departments nationally and (2) a fund to re-stimulate reinvestment in fire and emergency response equipment with other levels of government. 

Update June 6, 2025

On June 6, 2025, Transport Canada published a report based on the consultation titled "What we heard: Potential regulations to increase access to marine emergency services and improve response to pollution incidents". You can read the report here.