Evidence of meeting #13 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was fishery.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:35 a.m.
NDP
Catherine Bell NDP Vancouver Island North, BC
They were built, so that would be something foreign.
So would it be better to put some kind of a barrier on those canals so the fish can't get up them?
10:35 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
Well, you can't just close off that drainage, but you can slow it down by having a barrier for a couple of feet or two feet just to slow the process down, and have some trickle of water coming through for months, and not have it flow in a few days or weeks and then shut it down because all the water has drained off the land.
10:35 a.m.
NDP
Catherine Bell NDP Vancouver Island North, BC
The other scenario I pictured in my mind was some kind of a holding pond, with the drainage going into a pond that would slowly drain into the lakes and rivers, instead of coming out in such a big rush.
10:40 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
Yes, there are locations where there are some large marshes, which could absorb some of that water as it drains and allow the natural spawning to take place and everything else.
I'm sure it could be worked out. It could be worked out.
10:40 a.m.
NDP
Catherine Bell NDP Vancouver Island North, BC
But it would take the cooperation of the agriculture people—
10:40 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
Yes, it would take cooperation.
10:40 a.m.
NDP
Catherine Bell NDP Vancouver Island North, BC
And at this point they are not interested. Is that your understanding?
10:40 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
Not at this point, no.
10:40 a.m.
NDP
Catherine Bell NDP Vancouver Island North, BC
Okay.
How much money is generated from fishing in Manitoba?
10:40 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
Our sales are probably about $50 million annually.
10:40 a.m.
NDP
Catherine Bell NDP Vancouver Island North, BC
I think that's maybe part of your campaign, to raise this issue with the other departments and other organizations, that you are a significant piece of the economy that's being impacted negatively. I just wonder if you've had any opportunity to take that on, because sometimes money talks.
10:40 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
I like that term, yes.
Again, we are hoping to have an impact, and I hope changes are going to happen. I hope we'll see them in the next few years as this organization grows.
We need support. We're not a small part of the economy that doesn't matter; we are a part of it, and we want to be recognized for our efforts.
10:40 a.m.
NDP
Catherine Bell NDP Vancouver Island North, BC
We've talked about this federally, but has there been any work with the provincial government, the agriculture or fisheries departments provincially, to get them on board?
10:40 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
No, not that I know of.
10:40 a.m.
Conservative
February 14th, 2008 / 10:40 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I certainly appreciate having the witness here.
Just to let you know, Mr. Gaudry, I am the only prairie member of Parliament on this committee. I certainly take the freshwater fishery very seriously, and I appreciate your interventions here.
You are here, of course, as part of the study we're doing on small craft harbours, so I'll start my questions with some specific issues. I know you've touched on a lot of things governing habitat and governing some agriculture, and I might get to some of those questions after I am done with the small craft harbours.
According to DFO, there are 41 fishing harbours in Manitoba, and I think there are 12 that are considered recreational harbours. Of those harbours, how many actually exist on first nations reserve lands?
10:40 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
The majority of them.
I don't have the exact numbers. The ones I mentioned were all first nations harbours: the Lynx River Harbour and Dauphin River Harbour--and there are many more, of course. I don't have the number on how many are first nations ones.
Right away, when it's on a first nation's land, the province says it's federal jurisdiction and why should they fund it? We have those challenges all the time, and we're trying to form a partnership to say that if we're going to contribute one-third and the province one-third and the federal government one-third, then we can look at the infrastructure and maintain it. But when the provinces say it's not their jurisdiction, then what happens? We're missing some partnerships, and there is a challenge there, because these harbours are on first nations lands.
10:40 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
A lot of the harbours are the only access routes to some of these first nations.
