Fisheries Committee on Nov. 25th, 2010

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

I would say that's something the committee can ask for from the department. If we're able to obtain that information we can provide it to all the members.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Thanks.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you.

We'll take a short break while Mr. Bevan departs, and then we'll continue with our meeting.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

I call the meeting back to order.

The clerk is distributing copies of a motion by Monsieur Blais. He served notice at our last meeting, and we set aside this part of our meeting to discuss his motion.

Monsieur Blais, I turn the floor over to you at this time.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I do not necessarily have much to add to what I have already said. I think that the motion as it stands is sufficiently detailed and clear for us to be able to make a good decision.

I would, however, like to point out one thing. When we made the decision to undertake the studies on crab and aquaculture, which are getting underway, we said that we wanted to make this work our priority, but if special issues or particular situations arose—it can happen—it would be useful and appropriate to allow for consideration of unexpected events and special circumstances.

This event falls into that category. That is why I invite committee members to agree unanimously to allow us to have a meeting with these people.

I have concerns about many aspects of the seal policy or issue. For example, this morning I attended a talk by Daniel Pauly, from the University of British Columbia, on fisheries, climate change, overfishing, etc. What he presented is useful because it opens up new horizons for our work.

I also have concerns about ecocertification, as well as subsea oil and gas drilling. Committee members have acquired great wisdom over time about the need to expect the unexpected and to allow for the committee to focus on certain things and take the time to do priority work, like finishing up the crab issue. But we need some flexibility as well for things we can't predict, since there are all sorts of issues that may come at us. A disaster can always happen. I am not saying that this event is a disaster but rather something that should be of concern to us.

I think that the integrity of the department and the coast guard are at stake. Serious questions must be asked, and I imagine that we will also get serious answers about the situation.

So I invite committee members to give their unanimous support to this motion.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Monsieur Blais.

You all have the motion in front of you. I don't need to read it.

Is there anything further on Monsieur Blais's comments, any questions or concerns?

Mr. Cuzner.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Obviously it sort of runs into the concern of our time management and what we have and wanting to clean up the crab report and the aquaculture report as well. But I think it's legitimate enough, and there's enough concern around Arctic drilling and the government's role in where we're going with Arctic drilling that I think it could warrant questions being asked by those involved. So I think we'll tend to support the motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Mr. Cuzner.

Mr. Kamp.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

What I haven't heard in the discussion so far, or in the presentation from Mr. Blais, is support for the content of the motion. He supported the notion that we should be able to do other stuff, and on this side we certainly agree with that. Issues will come up that we need to interrupt our work plan to do. That's fair enough. The question is whether this is one of those and whether it merits that. I'm not opposed to bringing in whoever we like, just as long as we understand the content of the issue at play in this motion.

I know he's receiving some input from Équiterre, which is mentioned in this motion. This question has been answered a couple of times by the minister already this week. And because there is some misunderstanding.... This is a consortium of scientific interests called ArcticNet, which is coordinated by the University of Laval—I think our analyst's alma mater.

They have access to this coast guard ship for 152 days of the year, I think, during the non-icebreaking season, and they do research that's coordinated by ArcticNet. They will do research for a variety of interests, whether they be scientific agencies like universities or industry folks who want research done. BP is one of them. That research was not exploration; it was scientific research that they wanted done. Then, as I understand it, that research is then available to that whole ArcticNet consortium community, so it's public.

We can bring these officials in to clarify how the coast guard relates to them, as long as we bring the right people in.

These are the facts, as I understand them. The minister will be here on December 2 with her officials. The coast guard commissioner I assume will be one of them. We could certainly raise the issue then, if Mr. Blais thinks we need to bring in the other ones mentioned here.

We're not opposed to that, but I think the issue has been clarified significantly since he first raised this issue the other day, through the answers the minister made in the House.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Mr. Kamp.

Mr. Weston.

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Chairman, I am not sure about the position of our working committee. I know that we have three issues. There is the report that we received some information about this morning. There is also the aquaculture report. And we may also be working on the new fisheries and oceans bill.

I do not know which is the priority and how much time needs to be invested in the report being suggested by Mr. Blais this morning. I feel that the other three tasks should be done first. Then we could study something else.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Mr. Weston.

The subcommittee would determine where on the agenda this would be placed and then report back to the main committee, if the motion were adopted, to ask these individuals to appear before the committee. What transpires beyond that obviously is within the realm of the committee's prerogative. The committee would determine that.

But the issue here today is the motion on the floor that Monsieur Blais has brought forward: that the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans ask Dr. Louis Fortier, scientific director of the research icebreaker the Amundsen, the Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard, representatives from the BP and Esso oil companies, and a spokesperson for Équiterre to appear before it to give details about the lease of the coast guard vessel the Amundsen to Esso and BP for petroleum exploration activities in the Beaufort sea.

That's the question before you here today.

Are there any other questions, comments, or concerns? If not, I'll call the question.

(Motion agreed to) [See Minutes of Proceedings]

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

All right, so we'll send this off to the meeting of the subcommittee.

I believe Ms. Murray would like to provide notice of motion to the committee as well.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to provide the committee with notice of a motion as follows:

Given conservation concerns regarding Atlantic bluefin tuna, that the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, at its earliest opportunity, study Canada's response to the proposals for sustainable management of Atlantic bluefin tuna made by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and Canada's response to the CITES proposal to suspend international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna until stocks are no longer threatened with extinction.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Ms. Murray. Ms. Murray has provided notice to bring forward a motion. The clerk will circulate that motion at his earliest opportunity. How's that?

Thank you.

There being no other business for this committee, this committee stands adjourned.