Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks, members of the committee. We will try to bring some energy to this end-of-the-day hearing.
Thanks for the opportunity to be here today. I am Tim Kennedy and am about six months into the job with the Aquaculture Industry Alliance. Unfortunately, one of my failings in this job already is that I'm missing a surname like my predecessor, whose name was Ruth Salmon. If any of you came across Ruth, she was a great lady. One member of Parliament has said I should be Tim Mussel, so maybe you can come up with a good name for me.
Members, global demand for seafood is rising very, very rapidly. Traditional seafood production is flat to declining, with pressure on the ocean's wild fish stocks as a significant global environmental challenge. Farming our oceans is a critical answer, now and into the future, to providing a sustainable source of healthy food for all of us. It already provides over 50% of the world's seafood supply. My strong and long-standing environmental interest is one of the reasons I started this job around six months ago.
Canada has the opportunity now to reclaim some leadership in global farmed seafood production. The industry is fascinating and has incredible potential.
I want to appeal to you all today. Don't just tolerate this sector, but embrace it with enthusiasm and seek to apply Canadian ingenuity to any challenges that we face. No country has the expanse of coastal geography that Canada has. Small coastal communities have talented people wanting work in well-paying jobs. People want to work with truly sustainable resources in a sustainable business. They also want to be in a sector that's innovative. Seafood farming answers all of these issues.
Dominic Barton identified our sector in his panel's recommendations this spring. He called for Canada to identify a growth target for us and to follow up with actions to make it happen: increased global market share for aquaculture to 0.6% from the current 0.2%, and exports by just under $3 billion.
Canada's production in aquaculture has been largely flat over 10 years. There are a few reasons for this. The first reason is the inability of governments to embrace and support the sector. The industry can always improve, but we have come a very, very long way. We continue to address any challenges and problems, but we need the encouragement and support of governments, the federal government in particular, to continue to invest and constantly improve.
Second, we lack a modern legal framework. We're governed under the 150-year-old Fisheries Act that's dedicated to conservation and management. We are a farming activity. The Fisheries Act does not mention the word “aquaculture”, except for once, in the French version only.
Third, we do not receive close to the same support that farmers in the country take for granted through innovation and business risk management programs.
Mr. Barton, joining many other experts over the years, recommends two things. He recommends that, first, Canada adopt a new Canadian aquaculture act to move this industry into the 21st century; and, second, that Canada provides integrated supportive program funding for this sector.
Our budget proposal that you've received answers the second of these recommendations. It's a request for an integrated $160-million funding program, over three years, that addresses major gaps that have caused our sector to fall behind the global competition. It's divided into six sections. Each priority identification needs close industry-government collaboration. The breakdown of the proposal is the following, again for a three-year period: science and innovation for $95 million; infrastructure for $20 million; fish health, $5 million; business risk programs, $20 million; skills, $15 million; and new species and broodstock at $5 million. I'll go through that quickly again, as I see some people writing: science and innovation, $95 million; infrastructure, $20 million; fish health, $5 million; business risk programs, $20 million; skills at $15 million; and new species and broodstock for $5 million.
All of these proposals are based on our desire and our knowledge that we need to get back into the international game and access resources that are enjoyed by our competitors and lead the world in sustainable seafood production.
Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to further discussion.