Today, 4, February 2021 the Canadian government banned all cruise ships from entering Canadian waters. Due to the Passenger Vessel Services Act requiring the large, foreign flagged cruise ships to stop in a foreign port (Canada) before re-entering US waters (Alaska) this effectively ended the 2021 Alaska summer tour season. Much of Southeast Alaska is dependent upon these ships for a stable economy. After understandably shutting the 2020 season down, it would be tough to think of a way that many tourism businesses, people, and communities could withstand another complete shutdown in 2021. I propose an exemption for the year 2021 of this part of the PVS Act to enable a way for these ships to come to Alaska and for Alaskans, as well as the cruise industry to be able to work and provide ourselves with a stable livelihood. 

I am just one of many who have lost my dream, and livelihood that I worked my entire adult life to achieve due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There are approximately 2,275 Alaskan businesses and entire communities that rely solely upon these ships to support their economy. There are safe ways to do this. It can be done, but the first step has to be to make it possible through making this reasonable exception.