Evidence of meeting #41 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was ijc.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Co-Chair, Science Advisory Board, Work Group on Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response, International Joint Commission
Yes.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
What's the difference, or are there many differences, between the regulations in the United States and Canada? Should they be comparable? I would like you to comment on that.
Co-Chair, Science Advisory Board, Work Group on Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response, International Joint Commission
All I can say is that they are different. There has been some attempt to make them less different under the North American Free Trade Agreement, but they still are different.
As far as I can see now, you would have to solve the problem on both sides of the border independently.
Liberal
Co-Chair, Science Advisory Board, Work Group on Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response, International Joint Commission
Co-Chair, Science Advisory Board, Work Group on Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response, International Joint Commission
It's just that the regulations in the two countries are different. If you get approval to use chemical X in Canada, it doesn't mean you can use it in the States, and vice versa. And in international waters it gets quite muddy.
Liberal
Co-Chair, Science Advisory Board, Work Group on Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response, International Joint Commission
You could say that. I won't.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
You have in this country Invading Species Watch. I'd like you to comment on that and on what they have in the U.S. that's somewhat similar—or do they?—and how valuable this is.
Co-Chair, Science Advisory Board, Work Group on Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response, International Joint Commission
I don't know. Have you had Francine MacDonald from the MNR here speaking about Invading Species Watch?
Co-Chair, Science Advisory Board, Work Group on Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response, International Joint Commission
I think that's largely a volunteer program.
Co-Chair, Science Advisory Board, Work Group on Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response, International Joint Commission
It's probably most valuable in keeping invasive species that have gotten into the Great Lakes from getting farther inland. As you know, that's the second level of the problem, which is also important.
This is mostly looking for things that we already know are here, so it's not as relevant to early detection of invading species in the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are big places. It takes a larger-scale activity than a cottager keeping an eye out on their waterfront.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
The problem is that a cottager can cause you a fair bit of trouble too, or anybody can, by bringing in invasive species, and not only from the waterway. They can truck them in. There's this type of problem. That is a big problem too, isn't it?
Co-Chair, Science Advisory Board, Work Group on Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response, International Joint Commission
Yes. Well, yes, as we get the—
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
And what should the rules be? How do you think it should be handled at the borders?
Co-Chair, Science Advisory Board, Work Group on Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response, International Joint Commission
To me, actually, these cases where Asian carp have been stopped at the Ontario border have been great. It has signalled that we have a problem. There are people carrying live Asian carp around, and it's great that they got intercepted.
On the other hand, if you want to say the glass is half empty, that means there are Asian carp coming to the Canadian border. They're probably coming to U.S. cities like Detroit and Chicago. If they're not getting to Toronto and Montreal, well, then—
Co-Chair, Science Advisory Board, Work Group on Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response, International Joint Commission
Well, yes. Stopping them at the border doesn't help. It's illegal to bring them across state borders, but state borders are a lot more porous than the international border. So if we keep them out of Toronto and they're still getting to Detroit, it's not keeping them out of the Great Lakes.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
I'd like to ask you one more question, when I get another run at it.
Thank you.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rodney Weston
Thank you, Mr. MacAulay.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our guests for joining us today. I appreciate you taking the time from your busy schedules to come back twice, answer our questions, and make presentations to this committee.
If you have any further evidence or comments that you'd like to submit to the committee, please feel free to do so. You can do that by sending them to the clerk, and the clerk certainly will make sure that all committee members are made aware of any comments, concerns, or anything at all that you might want to provide this committee as we proceed with our study.
Again, thank you on behalf of the entire committee. We really do appreciate you taking the time today to appear.