Canadian marine industry advocates to new parliament

Stakeholders from across the Canadian recreational boating industry joined forces on May 4 to meet with parliamentarians in the fourth annual Canadian Recreational Boating Industry Day on the Hill.

Led by NMMA Canada, the delegation included representatives from regional marine trade associations such as the Atlantic Marine Trade Association, the Association Maritime du Quebec, Boating Ontario, the Mid-Canada Marine and Powersports Dealers Association and Boating BC. Representing more than 4,400 companies and 67,000 jobs, the delegation engaged policy makers on wide variety of issues important to Canada’s recreational boating sector, including access to water, reducing trade barriers, investment in infrastructure and support for tourism marketing efforts.

“The Canadian Recreational Boating Industry Day on the Hill provides a unique opportunity to directly educate policy makers on the significant socio-economic impact of recreational boating,” said Sara Anghel, NMMA Canada executive director/vice president government relations. “The GDP impact of recreational boating is $5 billion and represents more than $8.9 billion in total revenues. Its economic impact is significant.”

With nearly 200 new members of parliament elected in the October 2015 federal election, the 2016 Day on the Hill represented a significant opportunity to cement important relationships with newly elected representatives and their executive staffs. The new Liberal government has committed to invest more than C$125 billion over the next 10 years on capital projects, and has pledged significant support to developing tourism.

The advocacy effort followed a highly successful industry planning summit held the previous day, in which stakeholders discussed key issues facing the Canadian recreational boating industry in order to identify common strategic priorities.

“Having so many different stakeholder groups in one room provided a unique perspective on the issues and concerns of Canada’s recreational boating industry,” said Anghel. “The summit sessions identified a number of shared priorities, and underscored the need for a unified, national voice to work with government and other relevant stakeholders in order to advance the industry’s interests.”