The Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund, established under the Marine Liability Act, is a special purpose account within the Government of Canada’s Consolidated Revenue Fund. It was originally created in 1971 as the Maritime Pollution Claims Fund but was transformed into the Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund in 1989. The Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund has changed its public name to Ship and Rail Compensation Canada–Ship Fund. The Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund is Canada’s domestic oil spill compensation fund, funded by industry that receives oil in Canada or exports oil from Canada, which provides compensation for oil pollution damage caused by any type of oil spill from any type of vessel, even when the cause of the spill is not known. The Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund is overseen by an Administrator, who is at arm’s length from the government and is responsible for investigating, assessing and making offers of compensation for claims.

The Deputy Administrator performs duties a...