A great deal.
Evidence of meeting #32 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 fisheries.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #32 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 fisheries.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
The reason I ask you is that we've been given such a short timeline to do a study of the Fisheries Act, and by your own words you have stressed the importance of this Fisheries Act review. Members on this side of the floor have asked time and again to go back to you and the Minister of Transport to get more time so that we can truly do consultations.
On October 18, you made the announcement of online consultations, and now you sit here and tell us you are consulting with first nations, which I think is the right way of doing it, and meeting face to face, which is what we've asked for in this committee and it has been voted down. Then you say that if we want the information, you'll share some of it with us, but not all of it. Why not all? What is the time frame for your giving us that information?
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
Mr. Doherty, perhaps you misunderstood. I said we'd be happy to share all of that information, and I also indicated we'd share it at a time and in a way that the committee finds the most appropriate. We're in your hands.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
With your being here, Minister Leblanc, do you not think that we should do a true consultation, rather than just a short time frame and rush this review?
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
It shouldn't surprise you, Mr. Doherty, that I wouldn't accept the premise of your question, that you can't do a thorough and appropriate consultation—
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
—and do so expeditiously. I recognize that the time frame is not unlimited, but I also recognize that Canadians I have heard from and our government has heard from were increasingly unhappy and concerned about what was perceived as the weakening of these protections. Provinces—
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Monsieur Leblanc, I'm just asking you about the time frame, just short and sweet. Do you not think that this committee should have more time to study this?
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
I wouldn't propose to dictate to a committee how much time to take for a study and what particular issue to study. I wrote to the committee giving you an indication of what, as a government, we feel is a responsible time frame in order...and let's understand something. Once we get a report from your committee, I hope that we can draft legislation. I will undertake to do that as quickly as I can through the cabinet approval process, which requires some time, but we will respond....
Mr. Doherty, I didn't interrupt your question. Let me finish the answer.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
You'll have a second round, and I'm happy to come back another time that's convenient.
My only point would be that we are going to draft legislation. We will undertake to respond to your committee's report and not wait 120 days, or the maximum time—
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
It's my time, so I'd like to cut the minister off so we can get to a round of questioning, with all due respect.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Scott Simms
Mr. Doherty, the time is yours. You can do it, and the minister can certainly answer the way he chooses.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Minister Leblanc, I'm going to shift on this for you.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
I want to talk really quickly about a moratorium. Time and again you've stood in the House, and we've had conversations about your government shifting to formalize a moratorium on the west coast. We know that there is an extreme number of foreign oil tankers on the eastern side. Mr. Irving seems quite confident that the energy east pipeline will be approved.
Minister, why is it okay for this to take place on the east coast and not the west coast? Have you done an economic study of the economic impact of a moratorium on the west coast?
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
Obviously, I haven't had any conversations with Mr. Irving about what Mr. Doherty indicates he said. I take it at face value. If Mr. Doherty read that into the record it must be accurate. I haven't had those conversations, obviously.
We made a commitment to Canadians in the election campaign to have a moratorium on oil tankers on the northwest coast of British Columbia. We campaigned on that in a very open and transparent way. We won a majority government and 17 seats—
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Will the same apply for the east coast? Will you consider a moratorium on the east coast then?
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
Mr. Doherty, I'm endeavouring to answer your questions, but the constant interrupting does not make it very possible.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
Thank you.
We made a very solemn commitment to Canadians that we would have a tanker moratorium. I know you're probably excited to learn the details of that, and I hope in the coming days we'll have more information for Canadians and British Columbians on exactly how that would become operational. The Minister of Transport obviously has the lead on that. I've been working with him in order to put in place the appropriate measures, and we are constantly interested in hearing from Canadians who have concerns about environmental protections and the best way we can safely navigate in Canadian waters.
The level of concern that allowed us to make that commitment to Canadians was specific to the northwest coast of British Columbia, but if your committee wants to make a recommendation for us to look at other measures to improve marine safety and ensure the protection of the environment, we would obviously welcome those suggestions.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Have you consulted with our provincial colleagues in British Columbia on the announcement in the coming days?
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
I have ongoing conversations with the Government of British Columbia.
My counterpart Minister Letnick is somebody with whom I have ongoing conversations. I knew Premier Clark when she was an assistant in Ottawa, when I worked for Mr. Chrétien 20 years ago. We were young assistants on Parliament Hill together, and I have kept in touch with her and maintained a friendship with her for 20 years, and I'm in touch with her regularly, as well.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative