Fisheries Committee on Feb. 2nd, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Good morning, everybody. I call this meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 21 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

I want to start by acknowledging that we are gathered on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people, and I express gratitude that we're able to do the important work of this committee on lands they've stewarded since time immemorial.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the invitation of the Standing Committee on Finance, the committee is meeting to commence its study of the subject matter of clauses 553 to 570 of Bill C-15, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the Standing Orders. Members are attending in person in the room and remotely using the Zoom application.

Before we continue, I would ask all in-person participants to consult the guidelines written on the cards on the table. These measures are in place to help prevent audio and feedback incidents and to protect the health and safety of all participants, but in particular the interpreters. You will also notice a QR code on the card, which links to a short awareness video.

I would remind all participants that all comments should be addressed through the chair.

For members in the room, if you wish to speak, please raise your hand. For members on Zoom, please use the “raise hand” function.

With that, I would like to welcome back the Honourable Joanne Thompson, Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and Kaili Levesque, interim deputy minister.

We'll go right into opening remarks from Minister Thompson.

You have five minutes.

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is a pleasure to be here at the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

Budget 2025 is a transformational budget. We are spending less on operations so we can invest more in Canadians' future, creating high-paying careers, building our country and growing our economy. We are ensuring that Canadian industries will be supported.

Around the globe, people want Canadian seafood because it is the best in the world. It's ethical, sustainable and the highest quality. That's why Canada exports fish and seafood to more than 100 countries.

To build Canada strong, our new government is squarely focused on expanding markets to grow our fish and seafood sector to support a strong Canadian economy. Later this year, I'll be supporting Canadian harvesters, processors and exports at seafood shows in Boston and Barcelona to make sure that Canadian seafood is on the menu for global markets. This is how we build a resilient coastal economy and generate long-term prosperity for the sector. Expanding our markets protects the tens of thousands of jobs our fisheries support in rural and coastal communities.

We are taking a whole-of-government approach to find solutions and fight for Canadians. Just recently, our Prime Minister was in China, where we worked with China to remove tariffs on lobster and crab. These are extraordinarily valuable fisheries for this sector and an important step for market access for Canadian seafood. Canada is adjusting its relationship with China—the second-largest fish and seafood export market for Canada—and opening up new opportunities in trade diversification.

While the recent agreement with China should enable us to continue diversifying our seafood market into the Chinese market, we must continue working to remove remaining tariffs on Canada's fish and seafood sector. We are opening markets for Canadian seafood; meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition is encouraging Canadians to skip our seafood.

I will always stand up for our harvesters and workers. I have heard the calls for market access from harvesters on the wharves and from workers in our plants. It is why consultation is such a priority for me. It is how good decisions are made.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, I launched the food fishery survey to hear directly from fishers on how we can make the food fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador work for them. More than 9,500 people responded and participated in the survey to have their voices heard. I have directed my department to compile the information so that it can form a decision that works for the people at home. That is real consultation. The Conservatives would rather try to jam through legislation without consultation that doesn't listen to the fishers in our province and that instead threatens all our commercial fisheries in Atlantic Canada by trying to make the management of fisheries one-size-fits-all.

Let me turn to enforcement for a moment. Our government is committed to safe and orderly fisheries. Conservation and protection officers are doing excellent work to protect the resource and enforce the Fisheries Act.

This past season, conservation and protection officers seized thousands of traps. They returned tens of thousands of lobsters to the water. They inspected dozens of facilities. C and P will continue to have a strong enforcement posture to manage a safe and orderly fishery. I fully support the work of enforcement officers.

My job as Minister of Fisheries is to make sure we are both protecting the resource and protecting the livelihoods that depend on it so that this work is still here for our kids and grandkids. It is very important to me that we identify every opportunity to get more young people into this industry, because young people need to see a future in this sector.

I want our communities to continue to see the benefits of the fishery. We are moving forward with consultations to modernize our fisheries on the west coast so that licensing works better and harvesters see more benefits from their hard work.

On the east coast, I am focused on strengthening the administration and enforcement of the inshore regulations to make sure our fisheries benefit those doing the work and their communities. We want the benefits of inshore fishing to stay with the independent licence-holders in the communities they support.

We are continuing to review the rules with industry to see where we can make them better. Consultation and collaboration are how we can deliver good fisheries management that benefits Canadians.

Thank you. I welcome your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you very much, Minister.

We're now going to begin our first round of questioning, starting with Mr. Arnold for six minutes.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Thank you, Minister, for being here. You were able to make this meeting on fairly short notice.

I'm disappointed that you've taken the time today not to discuss the issue that was the sole item on the agenda, which is the matter of clauses 553 to 570 of Bill C-15, and instead have taken a partisan, attack approach here today. Typically, this committee, for the 10 years that I've been on it, has worked toward the betterment of fisheries and fishers. I'm disappointed that you've used this time for a partisan attack. Not one word in your opening remarks refers to the question at hand today, which is clauses 553 to 570.

Minister, have you been briefed on the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation, or FFMC?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

I have.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Have you been briefed on the government's divestment of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

I have.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Madam Minister, DFO has a web page detailing the FFMC transition or transformation process. This web page contains a commitment stating that the Government of Canada is “committed to ensuring its long-term success.”

Considering the problems and dysfunctions that the FFMC has experienced as a Crown corporation, how can the Government of Canada commit to ensuring the long-term success of the FFMC after it is divested?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

As you know, the government has made the decision to divest FFMC so that it can modernize and become more competitive. We have entered into an exclusive negotiation with a bidder. Since the Government of Canada respects the confidentiality of our negotiations, I cannot share any more on this negotiation at this time.

Deputy, is there anything you can add?

[Kaili Levesque, Interim Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans]

Thank you very much, Minister.

This specific case, as the minister noted, is bound by commercial confidentiality. It is meant to have the outcome of revitalizing the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation to meet the needs of the marketplace itself and respond to inland fishers.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

The FFMC lost $7.2 million in 2024 and $7.6 million in 2025. Once divested, will the FFMC continue to receive federal funds to sustain these kinds of losses in its operations and to cover the fiscal shortfall?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

I'm going to have to say the same thing to you. Out of a need for confidentiality, I cannot speak to the negotiation process at this time.

Deputy, if there's anything else you want—

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Obviously, you're skirting the question.

As of December 4, 2025, the statement on the FFMC divestiture says, “The divestiture process was designed to reduce financial risk”. Whose financial risk was the divestiture process designed to reduce?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

I'm going to go back to an earlier comment, which is that the purpose of the divestiture is to modernize the company and make it more competitive.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Who's financial risk is to be reduced?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Again, that goes to the confidentiality of the process. I think we need to ensure that continues.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Is the government going to continue with the financial risk?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

I will say the same thing. This process is confidential, to protect all involved.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Why do we have you here if you can't even tell us anything about how this divestiture is going to work? How can we make any recommendations when you continuously skirt the questions that will help us make any recommendations on this?

Minister, how many organizations did the federal government provide with access to capacity funding for the divestiture process? Organizations were provided the opportunity to access capacity funding to facilitate participation in the competitive bidding process. How many organizations did the federal government provide with access to capacity funding?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

I'm going to turn to the deputy for this. I have to protect the confidentiality of all who were involved in that process.

[Kaili Levesque]

The number of bidders is subject to the confidentiality parameters, but all were offered the opportunity for that. As the process brings itself through to fruition, we'll be happy to share the outcomes.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Okay.

What criteria did an organization require to access capacity funding from the government in order to participate in the bidding process? What were the criteria?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Again, that's part of the confidentiality.

Deputy, I don't know if there's anything more you can add.

[Kaili Levesque]

A detailed bidding criteria was undertaken in terms of participating in the process itself...and to avail themselves of any willing bidders in the process of that capacity-building funding to ensure the ability to engage through analysis, market development, etc.—all of the work that would be required for due diligence, sir.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Minister, did the government consult with harvesters who had chosen not to market through FFMC in the past?