Fisheries committee  We have regular ongoing discussions with representatives of the industry and other concerned federal departments about potential markets, as the deputy indicated. Ministers and deputies, not only from our department but from others, will regularly advocate on behalf of the Canadian seal industry in their travels overseas.

Fisheries committee  My understanding is, particularly as states adopt the port state measures agreement, that it is becoming more common for regional fish management organizations and others to adopt certification data to enable border officers to identify whether a product has been legally harvested or not.

Fisheries committee  At a high level, I would say that we believe we have a very robust enforcement and compliance regime in Canada, and that by global standards it compares very favourably with those in place in other jurisdictions. I would concede that my colleague Mr. MacLean may not be altogether neutral on the matter, but he nonetheless may be able to give greater precision in terms of how our efforts compare with those of our international partners.

Fisheries committee  I think the answer to that question is, yes, in some circumstances.

Fisheries committee  My understanding, and again, colleagues can confirm, is that one of the intentions of the bill is to move beyond simply enforcement on fishing vessels and fishing wharves to cover the importation of fish and seafood products at all ports of entry. One can imagine illegal product entering the country at land crossings and elsewhere, and one of the intents of the bill is to cover those eventualities.

Fisheries committee  —but I'm perhaps getting into more hypotheticals than I should.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, I wish to thank the member for the question. I'll offer my thoughts and then perhaps turn to my colleagues. When it comes to fishing in the high Arctic beyond the exclusive economic zones of the five Arctic coastal states, there is no regime in place to govern fishing in that region, the principal reason being that there is no fishing activity taking place there currently.

Fisheries committee  Let me turn to my colleagues, Ms. Bexten and perhaps Mr. MacLean, to try and answer that one.

Fisheries committee  My understanding is that the bill was drafted the way it was in order to respect our obligations under the convention on the international law of the sea. I don't know if other colleagues can elaborate beyond that.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, I will certainly try to elaborate, and I may turn to my colleague, Mr. MacLean, for his thoughts as well. All available evidence suggests that at a global level IUU fishing is a serious problem and has a significant impact both on ocean ecosystems and global markets for fish and seafood products.

Fisheries committee  I think I will turn to my colleague to answer that one, but in general, there of course is collaboration on monitoring on the high seas and elsewhere. Internationally, there is good collaboration between the relevant law enforcement agencies now—

Fisheries committee  What it will do is enable existing collaboration and information sharing to happen more effectively than is possible now at a high level. That's my understanding, but Allan is better placed to answer that question than I.

Fisheries committee  My recollection is that we have seen 11 countries accede to the treaty to date, but we require a minimum of 25 for the treaty to enter into force globally. I further understand that the number that have signed the treaty signalling their intent to ratify it are at some stage in the process of moving towards accession to it, in numbers that I think are around 30 to 35, but certainly they are well in excess of 25.

Fisheries committee  Again, Mr. Chair, I'd like to thank the parliamentary secretary for his question. I think my colleague, Ms. Bexten, is perhaps best placed to offer some clarification on this issue.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, I'd like to thank the parliamentary secretary for his question. I am of the view that you could characterize this piece of legislation as a no regrets bill, in the sense that while its intent is to bring us into compliance with an international treaty, I think the bill also has benefit to our law enforcement capabilities in Canada with respect to the importation of fish and fish products as well as the enforcement activities we undertake with respect to foreign fishing vessels.