Evidence of meeting #106 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was funding.
A video is available from Parliament.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
You gave the minister seven options. Did you advise him that Five Nations was the best?
9:10 a.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Our job was to present the minister...do the memorandum, with options for his selection.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Does the minister often direct the department to help a proponent complete essential bid criteria?
For example, he asked you to help Five Nations find their indigenous partners. Is this how the minister normally works?
9:10 a.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
With respect to a decision docket that comes through, very often any docket can receive additional instructions. Dockets are the advice from departments to ministers, and it's typical that there can be incremental instructions.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Thank you.
When you presented him with Five Nations as an option, were you aware of any family connections?
9:10 a.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I was not aware of any family connections.
June 5th, 2018 / 9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Ms. Blewett, the minister is subject to a screen on issues involving J.D. Irving, Limited, and I noticed in the Federal Court documents disclosure that the decision contained no reference to the matters covered by the screen relating to J.D. Irving, Limited.
We know the minister's wife's cousin was set to run Five Nations Clam Company. We also know that the Liberal MP Darrell Samson's brother is the owner of Premium Seafoods, the Five Nations' partner.
Does the department do an ethical screen for all decisions made to determine if there might be a conflict of interest, outside of the Irving screen, and were you, or anyone else in the department, aware of the family connections or the close ties to former and currently sitting Liberal MPs?
9:10 a.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
In terms of a personal connection, I was not aware, and I would say that our department was not aware.
Sorry, can I ask you to go back? I don't want to miss any elements of that.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
My other question was, does the department do an ethics screen for all decisions made, to determine whether there might be a conflict of interest outside the Irving screen?
9:10 a.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We focus on the ethical screen that a minister would have set up through the Ethics Commissioner, and it is related to the J.D. Irving screen. We do not look at considerations over and above those formal screens put in place.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Ms. Blewett, the minister has claimed that the purpose of the new Arctic surf clam licence was to involve and reconcile with indigenous peoples. Is that correct?
9:10 a.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Yes, that's correct.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
By this, then, it would make sense for the minister to pick a proposal that mostly involves indigenous peoples, correct?
9:10 a.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Correct. That's the intent.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
There were various proposals with 100% indigenous ownership, yet as it stands, Five Nations has only 25% indigenous ownership. In fact, Five Nations has the least amount of indigenous ownership. This doesn't seem to be in line with the minister's claimed purpose of indigenous reconciliation, especially when we learn that Five Nations has various ex-Liberal members and family members in charge.
How do you explain this decision?
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Doherty, as you would know, in regard to the job of the department, we went through all the proposals that we got through an expression of interest, and the intent certainly was, as you point out, to ensure that the benefits of a fishery would go to indigenous Canadians. We provided the advice to the minister.
Just to give some context, this is probably the first time that government made the effort to specifically allocate a quota such as this through to indigenous Canadians, so—
9:15 a.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Ms. Blewett, I'm going to stop you right there, because I have a document with me here. It's a news release dated July 17, 2015. It is talking about the expansion of the total allowable catch of the Arctic surf clam, to increase from 38,756 tonnes to 52,655 tonnes, and specifically talking about the 2016 fisheries management. It also talks about the consultation with the current licence-holder, industry, and first nations. Therefore, I don't believe that is an accurate or fair comment that you've made.
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Let me perhaps put a finer point on it. It was to explicitly include indigenous Canadians as the primary beneficiary. I didn't mean to slight a previous process. We do our best all the time to make sure that we consult, to the extent we can, with the indigenous partners, governments, first nations, and stakeholders. We do our best.
9:15 a.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Ms. Blewett, are you currently aware that Five Nations Clam Company is having trouble securing financing?
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
That's actually not the understanding that the department has, and the corporation has made it clear to the department that they wish to proceed.
9:15 a.m.
NDP
Fin Donnelly NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to our departmental officials for joining us today.
In November 2016, the government announced $1.5 billion over five years for the oceans protection plan. That's about $300 million a year. How much of that $1.5 billion has been spent to date?
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Donnelly, I may turn to our CFO to give you a bit of a breakdown.
9:15 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Do you mean the breakdown of the spending to date?
