The Great Lakes Seamen's Security Regulations which were made by Order in Council P.C. 2306 of May 22nd, 1952, under the authority of the Emergency Powers Act apply only to Canadian ships and not to foreign ships that ply the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence route.

As a result of representations that had been made from time to time, the Security Sub-Panel considered in the summer of 1953 whether some form of security control should be exercised over the masters and crews of foreign ships sailing into the Great Lakes. A simple scheme was devised which would provide a limited degree of security control and, at the same time, provide a suitable answer to possible criticisms that the government had imposed fairly severe security measures on Canadian seamen in the Great Lakes but had done nothing to provide similar controls in respect of foreign shipping.

In brief, the scheme suggested by the Security Sub-Panel last year would involve the following main steps. The Department of Citizenship and Immigration, which now receives one copy of crew manifests of foreign ships sailing into Canadian ports, would in future require two copies of such manifests to be submitted to the Department. The second copy would be forwarded to the R.C.M. Police for an appropriate check. The ship would be allowed to proceed on its journey but if the police check subsequently revealed the presence of subversive elements amongst any of the crews, the agents of the ships concerned would be informed that the crew members in question would not in future be permitted to enter Canada. The Department of Citizenship and Immigration would also make an Order under section 15 of the Immigration Act authorizing the detention of any seaman so named if he should re-appear at a Canadian port.

The procedure described above can be adopted with a minimum of administrative inconvenience under the authority of the Immigration Act, section 7 of which empowers the Minister to make a deportation Order, with no right of appeal, against persons who have communist associations, or who are likely to engage in or advocate subversion, or who are likely to engage in espionage, sabotage or any activity detrimental to the security of Canada.

The scheme set out above was approved by the Security Sub-Panel in June 1953 but was not put forward for Cabinet consideration because it was hoped that it would be possible to do away with the Great Lakes Seamen's Security Regulations if the government decided, as it now has, to allow the Emergency Powers Act to lapse on May 31st next. After lengthy discussions with U.S. authorities, however, it is now apparent that if the security regulations were allowed to lapse, the United States might well enforce inconvenient security measures which would result in expensive delays of Canadian ships in U.S. ports.

The Minister of Transport has consequently submitted for consideration an amendment to the Navigable Waters Protection Act, the purpose of which is to empower the Governor in Council to continue the security regulations in force for a further period of three years. Should this measure be approved for introduction, it is recommended that approval in principle be given to the recommendations set out above with regard to security control of foreign shipping in the Great Lakes and that the Department of Citizenship and Immigration and the R.C.M. Police be instructed to implement these recommendations immediately.

It is further suggested that no special announcement be made concerning the new arrangement unless and until questions are raised in the House or elsewhere. ⁷⁴

R.B. Bryce