SIU members had an excellent season with great opportunities to get jobs aboard vessels under contract with the SIU. The Canadian Maritime Industry has greatly evolved in the past few years and the initiatives taken by the companies to develop new markets are bringing in results. More efficient and more versatile vessels with the capacity to transport a variety of cargoes have been added and Companies do not depend on a limited number of clients. It is important to add that most vessels operating on the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes trade throughout the entire season.

With the exception of two difficult seasons resulting from the worldwide economic slowdown, the Canadian maritime industry has achieved a high level of success for the past several years. The future looks promising with the announcements of significant investments by Canadian companies to purchase new vessels and upgrade vessels currently on the fleet with newer and more technologically advanced equipment. These investments confirm the ship owners' confidence in the viability of the Canadian Maritime Industry and SIU members deserve congratulations for their important contributions to the success of these companies. SIU officials who were involved in negotiations of long term agreements with some of the largest companies were able to observe the respect Company Officials have for SIU sailors.

These negotiations were difficult at times; companies demand conditions that ensure their vessels are operated safely, efficiently and provide a reasonable return on their investments. They also want cargoes to be brought to their destination in accordance with their clients' expectations. On the other side of the negotiating table, SIU representatives agree with these objectives but they also demand the inclusion of clauses that ensure safe living and working conditions on board with wages and benefits that allow you to provide for the well being of your family and to plan for the future.

Obviously, Company and SIU Officials have agreed on these basic principles. Several collective agreements ensuring good living and working conditions for several years have been concluded and ratified by members over the past few months; other tentative agreements have been reached recently and they have been submitted for ratification by the members involved before becoming into effect.

More negotiations are still ongoing with other employers and in the SIU tradition, no agreement is finalized before being ratified by the members in the bargaining unit.

Waiving the 25% tariff – a boon for our industry

When we reported in our December 2010 issue that the Federal Government had adopted a measure relieving Canadian shipping companies from the 25% tariff on the imports of cargo vessels, tankers and ferries longer than 129 metres, we congratulated the Harper Government. We believed then that such a measure would stimulate our industry and encourage Canadian shipping companies to continue making investments to improve their fleets.

The SIU has always observed the greatest discretion in the pages of the Canadian Sailor and has avoided all political partisanship. Our primary objective on this issue was to congratulate the federal government for having adopted a measure which we believe, increases employment opportunities for our members. This initiative of the Harper Government has achieved these objectives. Since then, we have published announcements made by shipping companies under contract with the SIU of important acquisitions of new vessels. Many additional vessels are to be built in the coming months; they will be registered in Canada and they will be crewed by SIU sailors.

The addition of these vessels arrives at an opportune time. While a few months ago, a number of people were predicting a bleak future for shipping on the Seaway and Great Lakes as a result of important restrictions on vessel traffic and ballast water management that were being adopted by some state governments, the recent announcement of new, more realistic measures, permits us to predict a prosperous future for the Canadian and American maritime industry. See article on page 19 on the new legislation governing the management of ballast water and amendments to the United States' Clear Water Act.

A new world – A renewed industry

Canadian shipping companies are increasingly positioning themselves at the forefront of the maritime industry. A good example is given on the cover page of this issue with the photograph of Canada Steamship Lines' CSL Spirit, a vessel with state-of-the-art technology. The CSL Spirit offers twice the loading capacity of dry bulk vessels trading on the Great Lakes. Starting this coming January, the vessel will be assigned to carry iron ore mined from the vast territories north-west of Sept-Iles and transported by rail to the port of Sept-Iles. Now registered in Canada, with a SIU crew on board, the CSL Spirit will replace the foreign vessel that was illustrated in our September 2010 issue.

We have also learned that Canada Steamship Lines is expecting in 2013 the arrival in Canada of four new self-unloaders with maximal dimensions allowed on the Seaway and the Welland Canal. These vessels will be registered in Canada and be crewed by Canadian sailors. These vessels are in addition to the number of ships that have been put into service in recent years by Algoma Central Marine, Groupe Desgagnés and Coastal Shipping Transport. The fleet of vessels registered in Canada is growing in size and offers SIU members excellent opportunities to get jobs.

Brotherhood of the Sea

For the past thirty years, as a crew member and now as President of our great Union, I have enjoyed the spirit of solidarity and brotherhood shown by our brothers and sisters in the hiring halls, at the quarterly membership meetings and at special events such as the Come Home celebrations in Isle aux Morts, (the winter meeting in January was cancelled due to bad weather), the meeting in Florence, Cape Breton and at the Day of the Seafarer festivities in Thorold.

Training is an ongoing process

Once again, over the coming months, training courses will give our members the opportunity to familiarize themselves with new equipment, new technologies and new working methods that are being used on increasingly sophisticated and efficient vessels. On page 6 of this edition, SIU members will find more information about the training program being offered this winter. Once again, the courses will be presented by experienced instructors who have an excellent understanding of what our industry requires and the curriculum has been carefully prepared to meet the needs of our members.

During the coming navigation season, other courses will also be given so that SIU members can become familiar with the new technologies found aboard newer vessels and that will be installed on vessels of the future. Members will benefit from attending the courses designed to meet your needs. Members who have taken training courses provided by the Seafarers' Training Institute in recent years have all appreciated the quality and relevance of the courses. Company officials and ship's officers acknowledge the high quality of the courses offered and the benefits resulting from them.

We encourage you to take advantage of the courses offered. You will be able to improve your qualifications, profit from better employment opportunities and in some cases, have access to better paying positions.

Having proper training is no longer a choice. Training courses offered by the Seafarers' Training Institute and participating companies help to ensure that all crew members benefit from a safe working environment for themselves and the people around them.

It is important to emphasize that the number of work related accidents has reduced as a result of efforts by your Union and the companies to provide the safest possible work environment. The Companies' investments in training and training programs initiated by the Seafarers' Training Institute are proofs that training pays off.

Dear brothers and sisters, the career you have chosen and your contribution to the boom in the Canadian maritime industry have allowed you to ensure your family's financial security and to plan for your future and the future of your loved ones. Over the coming weeks, you will have the opportunity to enjoy a well deserved holiday with those dear to you and reflect on your role in a renewed maritime industry; a time to consider yours' and your family's future.

We take this opportunity to offer you our Best Wishes for the coming holidays. May you enjoy a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with happiness, health and success.