Evidence of meeting #19 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 research.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Robert Sopuck
I call the meeting to order.
Welcome, colleagues. As you can see, our regular chair isn't here. I have the honour of being the chair today for our discussion of new investments in science and assignments for new scientists.
We have four staff members here from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. I gather that Dr. Arran McPherson will be giving the testimony before we move to questions afterwards.
Could you kindly start, Dr. McPherson? Please introduce all of your colleagues.
Dr. Arran McPherson Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
My pleasure. Thank you very much.
I'll begin by thanking all of you, honourable committee members, for providing this opportunity for Fisheries and Oceans Canada to discuss the important work being done by the science sector, and in particular to present additional details about the recently announced new investments in DFO science.
I am Arran McPherson, the director general of DFO ecosystem science, based here in the NCR, the national capital region. I'm joined by Dr. Jay Parsons, director of aquaculture, biotechnology, and aquatic animal health science; Dr. Blair Greenan, a research scientist who focuses on oceanography and ocean climate, and who works at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; and Dr. Daniel Duplisea, a research scientist specializing in fishery stock assessments, who is joining us by video conference from Mont-Joli, Quebec.
We're here representing the more than 1,500 DFO science staff working aboard Canadian Coast Guard vessels, in coastal and freshwater research stations, and in laboratories and offices in the seven regions of DFO across the country.
The knowledge and expertise of DFO's science sector is fundamental to operational decision-making and policy development that supports DFO's mandate and the priorities of the Government of Canada. In addition to informing domestic management decisions and policies, the work done by DFO helps fulfill Canada's international commitments, and it supports collaboration through participation in such groups as the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. DFO scientists collect and analyze information that is essential for evidence-based decisions on such things as sustainable fisheries quotas, species at risk recovery, and aquaculture. The work conducted by DFO science is also critical to advancing Canada's knowledge about the state of its oceans and to ensuring safe and accessible waterways.
Budget 2016 included a financial investment of $197.1 million over five years for DFO's ocean science and monitoring programs. This investment includes $1.5 million per year for freshwater research, including additional funding for the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario. This funding will enable new and expanded research activities that will support evidence-based decision-making and policy development to conserve our oceans, coasts, waterways, and fisheries to ensure they're healthy and sustainable for future generations.
Specifically, with these new resources DFO will do more research and monitoring to support healthy fish stocks. We will collect more oceanographic data to better predict future ocean trends and do more research on the impacts of such environmental stressors as ocean noise pollution and microplastics. We'll conduct more research to support sustainable aquaculture and increase our diagnostic testing for pathogens and disease. We'll do more research on freshwater ecosystems, specifically in the Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg, and the St. Lawrence River, and we'll provide additional funding to undertake work at the Experimental Lakes Area.
To accomplish this work, DFO will hire 135 new scientists, biologists, oceanographers, and technical staff across the country and in each of DFO's regions to enhance our skills and expertise. A national recruitment campaign was launched in May to attract these new employees.
We'll also be investing in new technologies for use in the field and in our labs. These new technologies will increase our data collection and analytical capabilities, reduce operating costs, and invite innovation.
Finally, we'll provide new opportunities for partnership and collaboration between DFO and universities, environmental organizations, indigenous groups, and other stakeholders, both in Canada and internationally.
We wish to thank you for allowing us to come here today. On behalf of DFO's science sector, we look forward to working to achieve this mandate and to continue to produce high-quality, credible results for Canadians.
We welcome any questions.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Robert Sopuck
Thank you very much.
Our first speaker will be Mr. Morrissey from the Liberal Party.
If you have a specific question for a specific witness, please address it to that particular witness. If not, address it to Ms. McPherson, who can then determine the best person to answer it.
Mr. Morrissey, you have seven minutes.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. McPherson, with regard to the amount of money, the $197.1 million, could you give me the breakdown again of the new positions for the scientists you plan on hiring? Did you use that number in your statement?
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I did. I'm sorry, but would you mind giving me a little bit more precision around what you're looking for? I have a lot of detail that I can share.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Well, I'm looking for detail.
How many new positions will be hired, by region?
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
In the Pacific region there will be 28 full-time equivalents, FTEs. In the central and Arctic region there will be 23. In the national capital region, Ottawa, there will be 17 FTEs. In the region of Quebec there will be 15 new FTEs. In the region of the Maritimes there will be 25.5 FTEs. In the gulf region there will be nine FTEs, and in Newfoundland and Labrador region there will be 17.5.
Liberal
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Absolutely.
The parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick that have their rivers drain into the Scotian Shelf or the Bay of Fundy make up part of the Maritimes region, so those FTEs would be based largely at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, as well as at the St. Andrews Biological Station.
The gulf region is those parts of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton as well as P.E.I. and the parts of New Brunswick in which rivers drain into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Those FTEs would be based largely in P.E.I. as well as in Moncton, New Brunswick.
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I'll just talk off the top of my head instead of giving you the exact details.
Across the regions and the NCR, we've made investments for existing programs in fisheries, in oceanography, in ecosystem stressors, and in aquaculture in fresh water. In addition to that, we've also changed how we're doing things.
As I said, for example, we're creating a new partnership organization. There will be one FTE in headquarters who will be responsible for managing and delivering new partnership dollars to external parties.
We'll also be doing more stock assessments. Commensurate with the number of FTEs going out to regions, which is about 85%, we have 15% in each of these different themes of work that will be in the NCR.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
I'm still not clear on what the 17 would be doing in the national capital region.
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
They will be integrating different—
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Those FTEs that I talked about will be biologists, scientists. There will be technicians and physical scientists, so there will be a range of different categories. The folks who are in the NCR will have national coordination roles.
For example, some species span more than one geographic region, so there is a centre point and headquarters in Ottawa that takes the information from each DFO region and synthesizes it to create a national perspective.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
I asked that question because between 2008 and 2014, over 1,780 federal public service jobs were eliminated in Atlantic Canada. A significant number of these were in Fisheries and Oceans. During the exact same time frame, federal public service jobs in the Ottawa area increased by 1,835.
Fisheries and Oceans would seem to be one of the areas that should be decentralized outside of the capital region, so when we have an opportunity to create new positions, why would they not all be dispersed amongst the regions? That's the basis of my question.
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
As I've said—and I agree with you that DFO is highly decentralized—
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
It is. We have 85% of our FTEs outside of NCR. Out of a department of about 10,000, approximately 8,500 are in DFO's regions, so the observation I was trying to make was that the approximate distribution of FTEs in this exercise matches the existing footprint of DFO, more or less.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
But that footprint is shrinking in the regions and growing in the national capital region.
How much time do I have?
Conservative
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
There was a reference to water temperature and research. One of the concerns with the highly lucrative lobster industry on the east coast of Canada is the impact of climate change and the rising water temperatures. There's also some alarm being raised along the northeastern U.S. coast.
Is that an area on which we're doing specific research, and if we are not, why are we not, and will it be enhanced or begin to be developed with this particular initiative? This is probably one of the most lucrative fisheries within Canada.
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I'll ask my colleague Blair to address that. If I have any additional comments, I'll make them if there is time.
Dr. Blair Greenan Head, Oceanography and Climate Section (Maritimes Region), Department of Fisheries and Oceans
In my research group based in Dartmouth, research scientist Nancy Shackell published a paper in 2014 that looked at all of the fish species in the Maritimes region, looked at how sensitive they would be to changes in bottom temperature and the temperature in the water column, and estimated what we think it would be by the middle of this coming century, in 2050 or 2060. In the results published in a journal paper, some species were identified as being sensitive to changes in what we call “thermal habitat”, or the temperature of their habitat. Lobster actually would benefit. Snow crab would actually decline, because snow crab is at the southern extent of its current range with temperature.
In summary, if the Scotian Shelf area warms up a bit, the snow crab will probably decline in that area, but lobster will actually benefit.
Conservative