On September 29, the St. Lawrence Economic Development Council (SODES) and the Secrétariat aux Affaires maritimes held the Assises du transport maritime, a day-long maritime transport congress for reflecting on the Maritime Strategy’s three main thrusts—its economic, environmental and social dimensions.
A highly successful event
The congress was attended by more than 90 representatives from different areas—the maritime industry, the environment, provincial and federal government departments, the research community and the municipal sector, in addition to Minister for Maritime Affairs Jean D’Amour. The event was organized around workshops on different themes: Maritime transport as an economic development lever, Environmental issues surrounding maritime transport and Social acceptability and communications in maritime transport. Each of the three workshops was preceded by short conferences by experts on the different themes and followed by a moderator-led discussion period. The formula chosen for the congress’ organization helped encourage discussions that were necessary between the different sectors concerned by the Maritime Strategy. Exchanges during the workshops were very constructive, enabling the Government to begin deliberations targeting the Maritime Strategy’s next action plan and allowing the maritime industry to share certain messages and interact with representatives from government and environmental groups.