Good morning, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you to the committee for inviting the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance to speak with you today.
By production volume and value, our association represents over 95% of the aquaculture industry in Canada. Our members include large and small companies from both finfish and shellfish sectors, marine and freshwater operations, regional aquaculture associations, feed suppliers, and other companies across the aquaculture value chain in Canada. We are farmers operating in all 10 provinces and Yukon. Our industry generates $3.1 billion in economic activity and over $1.2 billion in GDP, and employs more than 15,000 Canadians in rural, coastal, and first nation communities from coast to coast to coast.
With growing demand for fresh seafood in Canada and around the world, we believe our industry can grow in a sustainable manner to more than twice our current size. With the right governance and policy framework in Canada, which we are working hard to achieve, our industry is poised to add an additional 17,000 jobs and over $3 billion in additional economic activity in Canada by 2024.
The government's new economic advisory council, which was created to advise the government on steps to create long-term economic growth in Canada, appears to agree. While the council's final report won't be completed until early 2017, the council's chair, Dominic Barton of McKinsey and Company, has spoken publicly about the need for Canada to become a global champion in the agrifood sector and has highlighted aquaculture as a key sector for growth.
We can deliver on this growth and meet the demands of our customers with a combination of new farm sites and productivity gains, improving on our own current technology. While we do not oppose the approval of genetically modified salmon, our customers in Canada and around the world are not demanding it. We do not need nor do we intend to employ genetically modified salmon technology in Canada.
Consumers are interested in the food they eat and in receiving accurate information about the food they purchase, including where it comes from and how it is farmed. We support that.
We note that voluntary labelling is an option open to companies as long as they comply with the national standard of Canada on voluntary labelling and advertising of foods that are and are not products of genetic engineering.
We also support the Government of Canada's food labelling policy to require labelling in circumstances where food safety issues are identified, and to ensure that food labels are accurate and clear.
Thank you very much.