A piece of United States federal legislation may provide Nova
Scotia's ports with inadvertent economic benefits.
The Jones Act is a piece of protectionist legislation that was
enacted by the United States Congress following the First World
War. Its purpose is to stimulate the shipping industry in the
United States, protect American jobs, and to ensure that the
domestic shipbuilding capacity and supply of merchant mariners are
both adequate and ready in case of war or other national
emergencies.
Substantively, the federal law regulates maritime commerce in
the United States. It requires that all ships carrying goods from a
US port to anywhere within the country, including its waters, be
US-built, US-owned, US-crewed, and US-flagged.
