Fisheries Committee on March 5th, 2013

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Welcome, Minister, and your team.

Because I only have a short time, I'm going to ask you a number of questions at once, and you can take your pick on how you want to answer.

It's now been over four months since Justice Cohen released his final report which contained 75 recommendations to improve the future sustainability of the Fraser River sockeye. In fact, the report outlined several key deadlines, some of which have already come and gone, and yet this government has been silent on how it will respond to the $26 million report.

He also pointed out the department's conflicting mandate of promoting aquaculture while at the same time protecting wild salmon.

I'm wondering if you have given specific direction to your ministry to implement the 75 recommendations from Justice Cohen's report. Will there be funding in budget 2013 for DFO to ensure that they have the necessary resources to implement Cohen's recommendations?

I also want to ask if you intend to fully implement the wild salmon policy. Do you intend to create a position of a wild salmon policy associate regional director?

Finally, I will mention that I have a motion that I have introduced to this committee. I'm not wanting you to discuss it or talk about it, but I just want to let you know I will be bringing it forward at the next standing committee meeting. It's regarding a study on the impacts of the closure of the Kitsilano coast guard station.

In the remaining time I wonder if you could answer those three questions.

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Fredericton, NB]

In the remaining time, I doubt it.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Fredericton, NB]

There are many questions there.

The Cohen study was a three-year process. You have to understand that the report has a significant number of recommendations. We've given direction to the department to review all of those recommendations and bring forward recommendations to me for consideration.

Some of them we are already involved in and have been working towards. It's a three-year process, and we have had four months to analyze it. I think it's incumbent on us to review what Justice Cohen has had to say in a proper and systematic fashion and to take some time to do that properly.

And you don't want me to talk about Kitsilano.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

No, I want you to talk about the wild salmon policy and the position of associate director.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Mr. Donnelly. You've more than used up that two minutes.

Mr. Woodward.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Minister and officials, good afternoon. It's my first opportunity, minister, to speak to you from this chair at this committee, being a relatively new member.

As the member for Kitchener Centre, I share with Ms. Davidson the distinction of having a riding that is at or near the south coast of Canada, sometimes referred to as the Great Lakes. I was very interested in your comments earlier about $17.5 million over five years being put toward the question of the Asian carp and invasive species issues. That of course is a potentially huge problem for the Great Lakes.

Can you elaborate a little upon what the government is going to be doing in relation to the early detection and interdiction of that invasive species or others coming into the Great Lakes?

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Fredericton, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Woodworth.

The Asian carp has been a significant problem in U.S. waters. We've managed to keep it out of the Great Lakes at this point.

It's not only our work, but in large part the work of the United States government; it has made massive investments in that area to try to keep the Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. We introduced a fund of $17.5 million over five years in this program. It's focused on four pillars, primarily: prevention, early warning response, control, and management. That's in conjunction with our partners in the U.S.

That funding is above and beyond what we already invest in aquatic invasive species, which is about $4 million a year. We're currently working with the provinces and territories on the development of a national aquatic invasive species regulatory proposal that would help address aquatic invasive species in Canada, including Asian carp.

So it's broader than just the Asian carp issue. It's many other types of invasive species that could potentially enter the country.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Very good. Thank you. I think that's my two minutes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Toone.

[Philip Toone, NDP, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

For me too this is the first time I get to ask you questions without the drama of the House of Commons. It's a pleasant change.

My question has to do with the Maurice Lamontagne Institute. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans' only French-language library in a scientific environment has been closed. It was an invaluable resource for French-speaking marine scientists.

Why close the only French-language library, the library at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute?

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Fredericton, NB]

Because of the technology that's available today, we decided to modernize our library services and take advantage of the technology we have today and of the information resources available in a digital format.

The library resources will continue to be made available, and if somebody wants a hard copy, rather than receiving it online in a digital format they will be able to have that.

The information available in French will also be still available. It's just a change in direction and effort to try to make our system more efficient and more streamlined and at the same time to save some dollars for Canadian taxpayers.

We don't believe this is going to have an impact upon the resources we have; they will be kept protected in protected areas so that we know they will be there for future generations. But a lot of the information will be provided in a digital format.

[Philip Toone, NDP, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Am I to understand that people think that francophones are more gifted at electronic research than anglophones?

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Fredericton, NB]

I would never.... Well, maybe I would suggest that you are much more talented, Mr. Toone. I don't know.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Fredericton, NB]

That puts me in an awkward position.

[Philip Toone, NDP, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

I didn't say that…

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

You have created a diversion here, Mr. MacAulay.

Mr. Kamp.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC]

In the presentation that Roch provided for us, he mentioned, as we know, the significant decreases in the main estimates, some of which relate to the implementation of the strategic review from budget 2011, and the implementation of the strategic and operating review from budget 2012.

I wonder whether the minister or his deputy could provide a brief explanation of how those two exercises differed.

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Fredericton, NB]

Probably the best way to explain this is to describe the direction that the strategic review took and the strategic operating review.

The strategic review looked at the effectiveness and efficiency of programs and focused on core federal roles and whether or not there was departmental creep into areas that we shouldn't be involved in. Obviously we had to look at it in terms of meeting the needs of Canadians. The overall effect of strategic review amounted to a cost savings yielding about $56.8 million in 2013-14 and a reduction of about 286 full-time equivalent positions.

The strategic and operating review was designed to position the department to make both structural and key policy changes. The ultimate effect of that is that by 2014-15 we will have a reduction of about $79.3 million and a reduction of about 520.3 FTEs.

To put that in perspective, at least 75% of the positions that have been reduced have been handled through attrition and retirements, etc.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you very much.

Minister, as always it has been a pleasure to have you here today. I want to thank you and your officials for appearing before this committee once again.

There being no further business, this committee stands adjourned.