Wouldn’t it have made more sense to focus on minimizing the risk first, and then assessing the response program?
When the Regime was developed in the early 1990s, Transport Canada and others embarked on a series of changes in the area of prevention and response to identify and minimize risk and, in the unlikely event of an oil spill, to respond to and minimize the impact on the environment. For example, the enhancement of prevention measures such as the double hulling of tankers and more frequent inspections. Many of these programs have been phased in over many years but are showing definite signs of success as noted in the reduced frequency of spills. Transport Canada continues to evaluate marine safety and preventive measures and implement initiatives in an effort to reduce incidents. Recent measures to prevent incidents include the coming into force of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 and associated regulations that, among other things, increased the penalties for violations and the restoration of environmental damage. The National Aerial Surveillance program (NASP) has been enhanced with new det
