Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to respond to the member opposite. His original question was based on some faulty premises, so I appreciate the opportunity to correct those.
The fact is that over the years we have had many discussions with our partners and stakeholders about the Fisheries Act. We have spoken with and heard from provinces and territories, conservation organizations, aboriginal groups, industry associations, municipalities and the general public.
These groups asked us to focus on the significant impacts to significant fisheries. They asked us to find ways to work more effectively and efficiently with other regulators. They asked us to develop productive partnerships with those working on the ground such as conservation groups. They asked us to apply our limited resources strategically to ensure that Canada's fisheries can benefit Canadians today and tomorrow.
We have heard from Canadians from coast to coast to coast that the rules protecting fish and fish habitat go beyond their intended goals. Concerns about the broad and even the unintended scope of the application of the regulatory regime have been raised by stakeholders across the country. For example, farmers and landowners have criticized the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for applying its mandate and resources to protect areas with minimal contribution to fisheries while sometimes insufficient attention is paid to the most significant threats.
The message we received was that the laws are indiscriminate, which means that all bodies of water where fish live or could live are subject to the same rules and evaluation, regardless of size, environment, or contribution to a fishery.
We know that there are better ways to protect important wetlands, rivers, lakes, and oceans. In addition, significant risks to fisheries have emerged that are not appropriately considered in the Fisheries Act before it was amended, such as those posed by aquatic invasive species. I know my colleague is familiar with this.
Recognizing the importance of Canada's fisheries across the country but also the need to concentrate our efforts and resources, our government introduced amendments to the Fisheries Act last spring to focus our fisheries protection regime on Canada's commercial, recreational, and aboriginal fisheries. By renewing and strengthening our approach to fisheries protection, the Government of Canada is responding to the current concerns and challenges raised by partners, stakeholders, and Canadians across the country.
Through the amended Fisheries Act, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is transforming its approach to fisheries protection in order to focus the act's regulatory regime on managing threats to the sustainability and ongoing productivity of Canada's commercial, recreational, and aboriginal fisheries. They will provide clarity, certainty, and consistency of regulatory requirements through the use of tools such as standards and regulations. They will enable enhanced partnerships with agencies and organizations that are best placed to provide fisheries protection services to Canadians.
Now that we have set the direction by making much needed changes to the Fisheries Act, we will continue working with stakeholders and partners to develop the regulations, policies, and other tools needed to effectively implement these changes. Through this process we will further define our new approach and develop the tools required to implement it in order to provide predictability and clarity for Canadians working on or near water.
The Government of Canada takes the protection of our country's commercial, recreational, and aboriginal fisheries very seriously. Given the extensive nature of the fisheries from coast to coast to coast, we must focus our efforts on the effective protection of these significant fisheries, and that is what we are doing.