Evidence of meeting #8 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was fisheries.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Ecosystems and Fisheries Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
The decision was that it should be operated by a third party. Ontario is the crown owner of that area and we are talking about what the arrangements might be going forward. That hasn't been finalized.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
Is there any possibility the federal government could still be involved in this?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Ecosystems and Fisheries Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
As I say, we haven't resolved things, but the idea is to make the new operator IISD. We're talking to them about what the arrangements would be between Ontario and them, and any ongoing engagement for the federal government, but the idea is IISD is the operator and they make the decisions.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
I hope your information is correct on the four months, but my understanding is January 8 is the date and that they've asked for an extension. Hopefully, your information is correct.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Ecosystems and Fisheries Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We'll check that.
It's generally four months, right, David?
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
That's correct. It's part of a collective agreement through the workforce adjustment. These are not things that can be altered by us. It's part of a collective agreement, and therefore we have to adhere to that process.
There is four months, but you're asking a question about an end date, and I have to be absolutely sure we know what the start date was, because if the start date was not a week or so ago, then it could be true that it could be January 8. If they got an opting letter last week, then they have 120 days to make a decision as to what they're going to do, and then after that they'll have whatever their choice is. It's either to leave with a transition measure available, or to go on educational leave, or to stay with the public service and be on a priority list for a period of time. Those are the choices they would have to choose from within that period of time.
We'll have to get back to you on the exact timing of those letters, because if they got them last week or so, then they should have four months.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
It's your understanding, Mr. Bevan, that they got the letters last week and they have 120 days following that.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Ecosystems and Fisheries Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
That is my understanding, and we'll double-check. If we're wrong about that, we'll let you know, but that's our understanding.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
I'd like you to elaborate in general on how the cuts and the changes in the department affect the mood of the public service at DFO. Is it affecting the output of the department? Basically, would some of the scientists be living in a bit of fear, or would they feel like they're safe? What's the climate? I think it's so essential that we have these scientists. We do not want them to be fearful they're going to get these slashing letters.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Clearly, when we were going through the process it was a difficult time. People who had worked with colleagues over a period of many years either were getting letters, or their colleagues were getting letters. It was a difficult time.
We have been managing our vacancy patterns for a number of years in order to try to have a soft landing for people, and I think we've had a pretty good track record in looking after our folks. They've seen that over the course of the last three budgets. I think the people in programs that were not impacted, because in the last 2013 budget we didn't touch any front-line staff, no science staff. Anybody delivering service to Canadians was not impacted. They've seen that, and I think they've seen it's time to get on with the job. There's been a bit of a rebounding in morale as they've seen how we're taking care of people.
In organizations that were pretty heavily impacted that's been a tough time. If you're in that kind of an organization, it has been difficult, but I think we're through that and we're on the other side of it. For the people giving services to Canadians, I think they're back in full production.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rodney Weston
Thank you very much, Mr. MacAulay. Your time has run out.
Mr. Chisholm, we'll move to a five-minute round now.
NDP
Robert Chisholm NDP Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
I want to try to clear up a matter that seems to be getting bounced between committees. It was brought up at the official languages committee and it was suggested there that it should be dealt with here.
This is the decision to shut down the search and rescue centre in Quebec a couple of years ago. There was concern about putting the lives of French-speaking fishermen, sailors, and boaters in danger. The official languages commissioner got involved and recommended delaying the closure of the centre until the language requirements are consistent.
I wonder if you could give us some indication of the status of that decision.
Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Certainly.
Do you want that in English or French?
NDP
Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
It's your wish.
The status is that we agree entirely with the Commissioner of Official Languages. We have said publicly that we would delay this transfer until such time as we are totally confident that the Halifax staff can offer totally bilingual service.
To put this into concrete terms, when the Commissioner of Official Languages sent an investigator into the Halifax station, what they noticed is that we have three stations, or three desks. There were three officers working at the same time, one of whom was totally fluently bilingual, to use our jargon. That person was talking at a verbal C level, which is fluent—I am a C level, for example—and totally able to handle any situation in the other official language rather than the mother tongue. One was fully bilingual; one was at level B; one was English only.
The conclusion that the investigator drew from that visit and an interview with all staff was that if there is a situation where the JRCC, the joint rescue coordination centre in Halifax speaks to one shift in French, there's no problem. That is covered. There is no issue.
However, they found out through speaking with people, both in Quebec City and Halifax, there are situations where you could have to speak to two different shifts at the same time, so therefore, we should have two desks. We agreed, and therefore we delayed until such time as we have completed the training of the oral competency of the operators to level C. We are now in the phase of training a number of people to achieve that level of competency.
I don't know exactly where we are today, but we're not there yet. We're talking of at least three to four more months to go. We would have to go back to the region to have the latest assessment of their training. But we are training people to have two fluently bilingual desks at once, out of the three.
NDP
Robert Chisholm NDP Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Okay.
The commissioner also concluded that the decision to close the library at Maurice Lamontagne Institute, and the library at the Gulf Fisheries Centre in Moncton, had not been the subject of an impact assessment that would have allowed them to measure the impact of the decision in recognition of French in Canadian society. He recommended that DFO reconsider its decision.
Have you followed the recommendations of the commissioner in this regard?
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Our objective there, and what we are going to do, is to make sure there is bilingual service provided for people wishing to access our libraries, no matter where they're from. Most of—
NDP
Robert Chisholm NDP Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Sorry, Mr. Bevan, I'm almost out of time.
You didn't follow the recommendation?
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
No, we're going to proceed with the savings as planned.
NDP
Robert Chisholm NDP Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
I have another question. I have many questions.
The department recently signed the MOU with first nations in B.C., the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, the First Nations Summit, and the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations.
I'm wondering if DFO has received a mandate to commence negotiations on these matters.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Ecosystems and Fisheries Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
The minister signed.... It had been a request. We've had a long-standing relationship with the B.C. first nations, and particularly with the First Nations Fisheries Council. It's always been at the officials level. There's something called the First Nations Leadership Council, which is sort of the political representative of first nations. It includes the First Nations Summit and the B.C. Assembly of First Nations—
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Ecosystems and Fisheries Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
—and I've forgotten the third one.
In any case, it's AFN's B.C. wing. They had asked that the minister sign an MOU, which enabled the relationship that we had at the officials level to operate at the political level. It really is a commitment to have a meeting at least once a year, or a couple of times a year, to talk about fisheries issues and other issues related to Fisheries and Oceans.
That's what it is. It was signed in September by the minister.
Conservative