Fisheries Committee on March 9th, 2017

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

I appreciate the minister's being here today, with his parliamentary secretary plus all his staff.

I want to get back to the question that came from Mr. Doherty on the MPAs and whether you would be willing to slow down the process to make sure that those MPAs aren't negatively impacting other sectors.

I was at a meeting and witnessed senior staff within your department stating that they're scrambling, actually, to try to meet these targets. Your Prime Minister has stated on other issues that he's not going to do something simply to check off another box on an election promise list, if it's not right for Canadians.

Would you consider slowing down this process to make sure that these MPAs are put in place in a responsible manner, instead of simply trying to meet a targeted number?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Chair, thank you.

Mel, thank you for the question. I might disagree with your characterization of “scrambling”. I haven't seen, in my discussions with my officials, people scrambling. I've seen them working effectively and diligently.

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

That was a statement from one of your senior staff at an event I was at. They were scrambling to meet the MPA targets.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Yes, and that may have been that person's view; I don't think it's the view of the people, certainly, in the senior leadership of the department. If that particular person is forced to scramble, then we'll make sure that he or she has the resources needed so that the scrambling can conclude.

I'm trying to be as elegant as possible with respect to your very precise question. “Am I prepared to slow down the process?” were your words, Mel.

The very direct answer is no, because I don't believe that we can't achieve these targets responsibly and in partnership with provincial governments and indigenous groups and the fishing industry. If I thought there wasn't a way that we could responsibly and properly achieve these targets in the environmental and economic interests of Canadians, I would then go to the Prime Minister with the unhappy task of telling him that I didn't think I should or could keep one of the commitments we made to Canadians.

That is not my position now. I think we can and will keep these commitments, and the Prime Minister is enthusiastic about the work we've done so far.

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

Thank you for that, but I think that simply stating that no, you're not willing to slow it down states something pretty clearly here—

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

But, Mr. Chair, I want the record to—

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

Thank you, Minister—

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

I get the tactic of coming back and putting the words in my mouth with the characterization—

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

Excuse me, Minister; I'd like to move on to the next question, please—

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

The only point is, the reason I said no is that we have a different characterization of how—

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

There was consultation—

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

—we would arrive at that process.

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

Excuse me, Chair—

[The Chair, Liberal, Scott Simms]

Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, I'm going to ask that we put some decorum back into the questioning. I'm very flexible on time. I'm also very flexible about the way we conduct ourselves within the time we are given. I am asking the questioner to get to his point, but I'm also asking him to be diligent. He is not in a rush.

Pardon my using this word, but there is no need to scramble. You have several minutes left, and I don't think scrambling is necessary. Let's try to keep this on an even keel, if we can.

Thank you.

Go ahead, Mr. Arnold.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I believe the question has been answered. I'd like to move on to the next question.

There was a Government of Canada web page providing information for indigenous Canadians interested in participation in the consultation sessions on the Fisheries Act review. I quote from it:

Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Transport Canada representatives will be available to consult directly with indigenous organizations, groups and communities, to seek their views to inform the committee's work.

Further on, it says that indigenous people were invited and funded to participate in the government's consultation sessions on the Fisheries Act review and were told that their input would inform the committee's work in reviewing the Fisheries Act.

Minister, DFO officials did not deliver the input from these consultation sessions to the committee for the review of the Fisheries Act. Do you know why this is?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Again, thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Mel, for the question.

The deputy minister just informed me with respect to your previous question that we apparently have an email from the deputy minister from your province thanking us for the diligent work we're doing and commending the department on the work we're doing around marine protected areas. We'd be happy to share that with you and the committee, if it's of interest.

With respect to the consultations around the Fisheries Act, we recognize the importance of a nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous people based on the recognition of rights. That's something that our government is working on, we think in an unprecedented way, and it requires us, frankly, to consult and to understand the opinion of indigenous peoples.

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

My question was, why was the information was not provided to the committee as it was indicated to the groups it would be?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

So—

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

And time is of the essence here, I see from my timer, because—

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Yes, and I wouldn't want anybody to scramble.

We are receiving in real time, Mr. Chair, hundreds and thousands of interventions and thoughtful contributions from people, not only from indigenous communities but from Canadians across the country. I have offered to share, as we compile and as we receive this information—

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

This information was to be provided to the committee for their review. We have finished our review and provided the report. The timeline is up. Why did the committee not receive the information it that was indicated it would receive?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Again, the deputy said to me that if in fact there was a commitment to receive the information we had in a way that could properly be presented to your committee—because it's important to receive emails on a website or to have somebody's working notes from a meeting—common practice would be not to turn it over to a parliamentary committee until it was in the appropriate form for you to receive it.

However, I would be happy to look into the specific circumstance you've provided, Mel. The deputy said the same thing. I want to maintain a very collegial and transparent relationship with this committee, so if there was some confusion either around what we committed to doing or a failure on our part to deliver a commitment, not only will we regret it and apologize for it, but we'd be happy to correct it to ensure it doesn't happen again.

[The Chair, Liberal, Scott Simms]

Thank you, Mr. Arnold.

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

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Scott Simms]

Minister, thank you very much, and the parliamentary secretary as well.