Fisheries Committee on May 29th, 2008

[David Olson]

I guess we have friends in high places.

It's been a long-term program in Gimli, and a lot of hard work has been done. I think the situation of Gimli, in western Canada on the lake, makes us very different, and that fishing is a powerful draw to people. We have people coming from around the world, and the human rights museum that's coming to Winnipeg is going to bring new people to Gimli on a regular basis.

But the big picture is that it's a really hardworking place. It's an aggressive spot. The quota entitlement program in Gimli is the most significant on Lake Winnipeg, which speaks to the individuals we have in the community. This is a hardworking group. I'm not going to call them all Vikings, but there are a few of them.

[Bill Matthews, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Thank you for that.

Mr. Tomasson, in your presentation you talked about the need for safe harbours, and you referenced a point about aboriginal fishers, the first nations, that there should be no differentiation--I think that was the word you used. Could you just expand on that for the committee?

I think what you said was that the small craft harbours branch more or less says that improvements to your harbour or the construction of a harbour for you should be an Indian Affairs issue. Are you saying both departments sort of push back at each other, and that consequently we don't have the facilities we should have for those people?

[David Tomasson]

Yes, that's a major issue. The small craft harbours program today will not build a new harbour on Indian reserve land. These are status first nations people, and they basically don't have harbours on their land. They have their own.

[Bill Matthews, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Would they not even cost-share?

[David Tomasson]

With Indian Affairs?

[Bill Matthews, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

I'm just asking you--

[David Tomasson]

Ask the small craft harbours people that.

[Bill Matthews, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

No, no, I'm not sure. I don't know. I'm just trying to get information.

[David Tomasson]

Having some background with governments, I believe that it was and is a formal position that it would be the responsibility of Indian Affairs to have a harbour on Indian reserves. But I think this committee should look at that very closely.

For example, on Lake Winnipeg alone we have a tremendous number of first nations reserve people who rely on the fishery. It's most likely the only employment they have in their big communities. Some of the communities are easily 1,000 people, and they don't have access to a good harbour through the funding.

[Bill Matthews, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Thank you.

I'm finished, Mr. Chairman.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

All right, thank you.

Just to clarify, if I could, Mr. Tomasson, could you provide us with a list of the 16 harbours that you mentioned in your brief could be built?

[David Tomasson]

Yes. I don't have it with me today, but we can do that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

If you could forward that to the analyst, it would serve better if we had it.

I want to get back, if I could, to Mr. Olson, for a second.

Regarding the facility that's out here, yesterday we talked to some people and they said it came about during the Pan-Am games, or something of that nature. Could you elaborate a bit for us on this? Was the small craft harbours program involved with the construction of this facility in any way, or was it totally from other funding? I'm trying to determine where the funding for this facility came from.

[David Olson]

I think you're speaking to the south side of the harbour, the south basin, and I think there was three-level government participation--the RM of Gimli, the provincial government, and the federal government--to build the facility on that side. But everything else here is federal and has been for a long time.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Okay. That's over on the other--

[David Olson]

That's on the far side, and we'd like to see that brought into our harbour authority.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

So you would like to see this section right off here brought into the harbour authority. Is that what you're saying?

[David Olson]

This section that you see in front is in the harbour authority.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Okay.

[David Olson]

The ownership on the south side is...I suppose it's three widths. I suppose the federal government owns the water lot and perhaps the land. But those are the things that I think are in consideration or in negotiation as far as the land issues are concerned.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Who oversees the property now? The small craft harbours branch oversees your end of it.

[David Olson]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Who oversees this end, here?

[David Olson]

The town owns it, but we're managing it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Okay. You manage it for the town.