U.S. senator submits bills to allow cruise ships to permanently bypass Canada
A U.S. senator has tabled three bills that would allow American cruise ships to permanently bypass Canada and other foreign ports.
Under the current U.S. Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 (PVSA), American cruise lines must dock at a foreign port between two U.S. ports.
Legislation passed in May, called the "Alaska Tourism Restoration Act," allowed U.S. cruises to temporarily forgo this requirement due to COVID-19, as countries like Canada continue to ban cruises from docking for the foreseeable future.
Now, Utah senator Mike Lee says he's tabling three bills that would repeal or reform the "outdated" law.
"The PVSA is bad news," said Lee in a press release Thursday.
"This arcane law benefits Canada, Mexico, and other countries who receive increased maritime traffic, at the expense of American workers in our coastal cities, towns, and ports," he said.
In February, Canada extended its cruise ship ban until at least February 2022.
The move, and the signing of the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, had members of the local tourism industry worried.
"The fact that this legislation has passed is obviously concerning because anything that is temporary can always become permanent," said Ian Robertson, CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, on May 26.
B.C. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says he's aware of the new bill and has requested "urgent meetings" with the federal government and the Canadian Ambassador to the U.S.
"The temporary measure passed in the U.S. was designed to support Alaska’s economy while Canada’s ports were not welcoming visitors," said Fleming in a statement Thursday. "This new proposed legislation is of greater concern to British Columbia and Canadians."
"This is not what cruise ship travellers want: Americans and international tourists want to visit Canadian destinations, and it enriches the experience cruise operators can offer to their passengers," he said. "We want to ensure that the tourism industries in both Canada and the U.S. come back strong."
Some Victoria tourism operators have previously said that they're confident that cruise ships will return to Canada once the country opens up its ports.
"Victoria is such an amazing city and they’re going to want to come back," said Smoke and Anchor restaurant owner Jackson Avio, adding that the more valuable U.S. dollar was a strong incentive to come to Canada.
The cruise ship industry is estimated to contribute approximately $2.7 billion to the B.C. economy annually.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.