Fisheries Committee on Nov. 14th, 2007

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Chair, I would like to propose unanimous consent to withdraw the motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Is there unanimous consent to withdraw the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Mr. Stoffer

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Chair, I will bring forward a motion in both official languages that when department officials or the minister appear before the committee we have it in one of the rooms where there are cameras. That's normally how we operate when they appear before us—we don't often get the minister—so that it can be televised for those outside this room who like to listen in. I'll move that at a future date.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Is there any other discussion, or does anybody have a motion in both official languages?

[Some hon members]

No.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

All right.

I'm going to throw this out for discussion and see where we go. With regard to issues we want to discuss, at our last sitting we were starting work on small craft harbours. We had just got it off the ground before the House closed.

There are other issues I'm sure we'd like to discuss, and maybe we could talk about that and get some ideas today. If we need some preparation work, then the clerk will have to do that for us.

The only thing outstanding that I'm aware of at the present time is our work on small craft harbours. I'm certain that's of interest to everybody, and I want to get some clarification on where to go on that.

Mr. Matthews, please.

[Bill Matthews, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

We've started on small craft harbours. We don't have a lot of time before the Christmas break; we're probably talking about a month. I think we should get at that as quickly as possible to try to finalize a report. I think we all would agree that we need to give the minister some ammunition going into budget preparations. I think that's very important.

As a side note, I don't know if it has been determined when the committee is going to sit—whether it's Tuesday and Thursday as we've always done—but I think that's something else we need to clarify.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Okay. We can clue up on this one for now and that's a point we'll have to get to.

Mr. Byrne.

[Gerry Byrne, Liberal, Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL]

I think it's important that if there has been a significant amount of work on the issue of maintaining and improving small craft harbours, the committee should take the completion of that work and the tabling of a report in the House as a priority. But in terms of future business, there are also some other issues I'd like to raise in advance of a meeting of the steering committee.

Do we call it the steering committee?

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

The subcommittee.

[Gerry Byrne, Liberal, Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL]

The subcommittee on future business. Another issue would be an examination of the high Canadian dollar and the impact on the fisheries industry economics. There is also the consequence of the Larocque decision. I know the committee has done some work on that particular issue already, but I think there's other evidence that could be gathered in that regard.

Finally, I think the committee had requested that the minister give the committee an opportunity to review a draft of the new fisheries act prior to tabling in the House. The minister declined that opportunity and instead tabled the fisheries act in the House on December 12. Of course we know the fisheries act is defunct as a result of the proroguing of Parliament. However, the committee still has the original draft that was tabled in the House. We understand the minister intends to retable a new fisheries act at some point in time. He has indicated that there will be adjustments to some of the wording of the act relative to the way it was first tabled, but I understand it will just be regarding the preamble of the bill.

I would encourage members of this committee to take the original draft of the fisheries act and to begin immediately hearing witnesses, so we have significant and sufficient time to review the consequences of the new fisheries act on fisheries management policy in Canada.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Thank you, Mr. Byrne.

Mr. Blais.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

As you know, you will not have to twist my arm to convince me that the small craft harbours file is a priority. I do not know exactly how it works, but I have the impression that we can ask the clerk to work on a file for the next steering committee meeting. We have already had a series of public consultations and planned a trip on the small craft harbours file.

I would like to ask the clerk to start updating the file. The current context is rather unique, given that the next budget will be brought down in February or March, and as we all well know, the decisions will be made at one point or another in January, perhaps even before that. We feel that it is important for the committee to submit the report before adjourning in December, otherwise we will come back in February, and it will be too late to meet our objective.

Might I remind you that the objective is to give a lot more weight, particularly to the minister, to possibly influence cabinet and the Prime Minister's Office, and to obtain additional funding in the next budget. Presently, any additional delays in terms of weeks or days reduces the possibility of tabling the report by Christmas.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Thank you, Mr. Blais.

We had a proposal, as I mentioned earlier. We have completed some work on the small craft harbours file, and as a matter of fact we had planned a visit on June 14, 2007, to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, and we didn't get to do that. So that will be part of our discussions too, whether we want to travel. We haven't done much travelling in the past, but that was a proposal put forward at that time.

François, in regard to witnesses, is there anybody who is on the list to be called as witnesses on small craft harbours? I know we had the directors general in from across the country. Did we have them all?

[François Côté, Committee Researcher]

We had them all, and in addition we had a gentleman by the name of Matthew Bol, who informed us on a study that he did eight years ago about this situation in other countries relative to small craft harbours.

I think that from the workplan I had presented before the committee in early June, we had heard of the witnesses possible for Ottawa. The next step was to travel to the different regions, and we had two or three travel plans, going to Newfoundland, Labrador, P.E.I., Nova Scotia, and Quebec.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Okay.

[François Côté]

And we were talking about Nunavut as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Mr. Stoffer, and then Mr. Calkins.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Just to follow along—and if the researcher could refresh our memory—I think we're fairly on our way on that small craft harbour initiative. It would be good to be able to finish that and put that one to bed.

There are a couple of other issues I'd like to bring forward that we need to discuss, several issues. One is that the government is in negotiations with NAFO right now. We're not quite sure when those discussions will be finalized, but they may—and I say may—have consequences for Newfoundland-Labrador and the east coast in terms of international discussion of the so-called custodial management.

As the committee knows, the minister, when he was in opposition, moved a motion that was passed by the House that said we would extend custodial management to the nose and tail on the Grand Banks or the Flemish Cap. That hasn't happened, and now they're in discussions with NAFO. It would be great to have a clearer understanding from those who are in those discussions—for example, David Bevan—and those who are raising questions, like George Applebaum, to get a thorough understanding in the committee, to really find out what the government is discussing.

The other concern I have, of course, is that on April 1, when the draft of the coast guard report came out, there was no mention of the fact that two vessels would be leaving my province of Nova Scotia and be sent up to Newfoundland-Labrador. They said the report was only a draft and that it would be in the final one, which it was.

Also, in the final—and I'll stand to be corrected—I didn't see anything in there that said the coast guard would find $12.2 million for the restoration of some coast guard buildings in Quebec. I don't have a problem with that. I think those buildings needed to be restored for the 400th anniversary, and it was a good thing. The reality is they couldn't find $6 million to fix a wharf in Halifax, and they're going to move those vessels to Newfoundland.

The figures they're talking about—and this should be of great interest to the Conservatives, who like to mention that they're fiscally responsible—the amount of money that the department is saying it will cost to move those vessels to Newfoundland is simply not on. We have reports from other people who are saying it's going to cost much, much more. I know, Mr. Chair, you and Mr. Hearn and Mr. Simms and I may all be having disagreements on this, because no one wants to object to having jobs being moved to their riding. But at the same time, if the reverse situation were true, you'd be raising these questions as well.

So I'd like to have an opportunity eventually, whenever possible and the committee can agree, to bring that discussion back to the forefront as well.

I would agree with Mr. Blais—if we can finalize the coast guard report it would be important—and also with Mr. Byrne. If and when the fisheries act gets re-tabled, it would be very important that we discuss that.

You realize, of course, the estimates are coming, and when the estimates come they'll be the first order of business.

Thank you for allowing me to rant on a bit, sir.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

We're allowing some ranting today, but we'll be curtailing that when we start our regular business.

I've been informed by the clerk that a business plan for the redeployment of the coast guard ships was received by him two days ago, but now that we're established that business plan will be available to all members of the committee.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

May I ask, then, was there a business case for the moneys allocated in the final coast guard report for the restoration of the buildings in Quebec in that report?

[The Clerk]

I can't comment on the content of the report, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

He can't comment on the content of the report.