The PICFI and the AICFI programs were initially conceived as five-year programs. As Mr. Huppé has laid out, they sunset at the end of the previous fiscal year. The government decided to extend those programs for one additional year to continue the work that is provided by those programs. It remains for us to see if there is any decision about further continuance of those programs into the future. That would be a decision of the government as to whether or not to extend those programs further into the future as a budget item. If that were the case, those decisions would be reflected in estimates for next year.
Both programs involve vote 1, operating costs for the department for the delivery of the programs and to carry out—by the department—projects under the programs. They also involve a grants and contribution, or vote 10, component. For example, under the AICFI, there are contribution arrangements that are set in place with participating Mi'kmaq and Maliseet first nations in order for them to strengthen their capacity to operate their business enterprises within the fishery, to strengthen their governance of their fishery enterprises within their communities, and to also participate in the decision-making governance processes with other commercial fish harvesters for the management of the fishery.
It's a somewhat similar situation with regard to PICFI, although PICFI also has a component for the acquisition of commercial fishing licences from commercial harvesters and the transfer of those licences to fishing enterprises that are established by aggregates of first nations—that's through a process of a willing buyer and a willing seller to do that—in order that first nations can increase their level of participation in specific fisheries. It also involves contributions for first nations to be more effective in the overall governance and management of the fisheries.
As well, this supports efforts by the department, working with all three sectors of the fishery in B.C.—aboriginal, recreational, and commercial—to strengthen governance in the fishery and to improve accountability measures, such as improvements to catch reporting and things of that nature. Also, there are investments to move to the possibility of new management approaches for the management of Pacific salmon through a more share-based fishery and things of that sort.
The vote structure of votes 1 and 10 reflects the design of the program and the activities that would be carried out by the department under vote 1 and contributions for others to carry out activities under vote 10.