Fisheries Committee on Nov. 29th, 2018

[John Campbell, Acting Director General, Aquaculture Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans]

We hold regular meetings with Norway, Chile, and other cold water aquaculture producing countries. We have a quad meeting we run once a year. In terms of picking up the phone, that's easy now to do. We're well established in terms of our relationship with Norway as well as following their technologies and other things that they're currently doing.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

How often does this committee meet?

[John Campbell]

The quad committee meets about once a year. Actually, it is once a year, but there are other opportunities to meet on the margins of various international meetings. It's something we try to do and it's not only just in aquaculture. The Government of Canada often uses meetings to make sure that we're constantly talking with our interlocutors in terms of all of our issues.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

When did the committee first—

[The Chair]

Thank you, Mr. Donnelly. It's over time now. I'm sure you'll get another chance.

Mr. Rogers, you have seven minutes or less, please.

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Welcome, guests.

I'm on the other side of the country on the east coast. We have a very different perspective on some of the industry from some people on the west coast.

In Newfoundland and Labrador the province is responsible for licensing, inspections and enforcement while DFO is responsible for habitat protection. There's a shared responsibility, and it's much different from what happens on the west coast of the country. I want to ask you a couple of questions around that.

The audit recommends that DFO needs to provide long-term funding for research on the effects of aquaculture activities on wild fish.

How much yearly funding is provided for that type of research and is an increase or a decrease in funding expected?

[Wayne Moore]

Right now, we're spending about—and this was documented by a recent evaluation that is available on the department's website in the transparency section—about $14 million a year on research, which supports research as well as just over a hundred people involved in the research enterprise. It's not an insignificant amount. This reflects a bump that the current government has made in the recent budget 2016 where additional investments were made as well as a recent renewal of the sustainable aquaculture program for a two-year period.

Am I expecting any additional resources? I'm always hoping for additional resources in science, and it's a decision for the government to make regarding those resources. Again, what we try to do with the resources available is to set the right priorities, try to listen to the broadest range of science and management needs, and try to target our energies accordingly.

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Thank you.

The audit explains that DFO lacks sufficient laboratory capacity to provide surveillance test results to CFIA in a timely manner. I know in Newfoundland and Labrador, the government invested several million dollars in a fish health facility in the Coast of Bays region on the south coast of the province. Can we say the same thing for both the west coast of the country and the east coast?

[Wayne Moore]

Just to clarify, is that in terms of the capacity issue?

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Yes.

[Wayne Moore]

At the time of the audit and with the evidence that the auditors had available to them, in fact, there was a continuing challenge that we faced in working with our colleagues to meet the lab demands of our colleagues at CFIA. The lab network is under my responsibilities. With the investments from the 2016 budget, in fact, we've been able to augment that capacity by about 40%, so in fact we've very much strengthened the work that we do. Are there areas particularly in terms of surveillance where there are opportunities to do better? Of course, there still are, and we are looking at opportunities to use third party networks as well. It's a commitment that we've jointly made to look at, so labs on the east coast or the west coast.

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Okay.

Again, DFO explains that it applies the precautionary principle within its overall decision-making approach as it pertains to aquaculture. Can you give me a concrete example of the application of this principle pertaining to DFO aquaculture decision-making?

[John Campbell]

Yes. In terms of precaution, a concrete example would be around siting. That's one of the things we take into account where we're determining whether or not where to put a site. We have to look at the water flow rates, the type of climate that we're in....

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Are these some of the other factors that are considered?

[John Campbell]

A number of factors are taken on board when you're determining precaution.

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Mr. Chair, a lot of times when I read these reports and listen to people present and talk to industry people, I'm left with more questions than answers.

I'd like to move a motion, Mr. Chair:

That the Committee study Atlantic Canada's Aquaculture industry with a focus on industrial best practices from Canada and around the world looking at countries including, but not limited to, Norway, Chile, U.S.A., and Scotland and that the Chair shall be empowered to coordinate the necessary witnesses and schedule.

[The Chair]

Copies have been distributed so everybody can see the content of the motion.

Do I hear any debate?

Mr. Arnold.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

I was wondering if the member would be open to having this include all of Canada's aquaculture industry. We certainly have concerns on both coasts.

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

I anticipated that question; however, I feel that we need to focus on the Atlantic region because it's very different from what happens in western Canada, number one.

Number two, the people from Norway are doing a major aquaculture development in my riding, as we speak. It's in no way bringing its best practices and the fundamentals of the running of the industry. They've done it right, I guess, and they've grown a major industry. I'm thinking that if we were to do some kind of jurisdictional scan to find out what the best practices are, and if we learn from that exercise, perhaps the same practices could be applied in Atlantic Canada, and of course finally, with western Canada as well.

I think rather than a large scope for the study, I'd prefer we stick with doing the Atlantic region at this stage.

[The Chair]

Mr. Calkins.

[Blaine Calkins, Red Deer—Lacombe, CPC]

Chair, I have a question for my colleague who moved the motion. I noticed there isn't a specific request for travel, but would travel be something that is or should be anticipated by the committee should this motion come into effect?

Chair, I would like to know when you lost the power to coordinate the necessary witnesses and schedules.

[The Chair]

I didn't think I had.

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

I guess we would travel, if necessary. That's not for me to decide. The committee should decide. Certainly there are ways and means of doing a study without necessarily travelling. If the committee desires it, then yes.

[The Chair]

Mr. Donnelly.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Chair, while I obviously support this, I would also encourage the committee to consider that it apply to both coasts, but it sounds as if Mr. Rogers is going to keep it limited to the Atlantic coast. In that case, I have a question about timing.

Would you be open to putting the word “immediately” in front of the word “study”?

I say that because we're running out of time before the next election.