Evidence of meeting #93 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 safety.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Todd Doherty
Would it then be odd if you heard that in the testimony we've had recently the officials who appeared before this committee could not provide any answers or direction with respect to this study when asked for some clarification on vessel length and vessel length policy?
Acting Director General, Licensing and Planning, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I'd be challenged to speak as to what was going through the heads of those witnesses at the time. I know that we do work closely with Transport Canada, as Jackie said, both at the national level and at the regional levels. We have a working group with them that has met frequently. In fact, I'm going to be meeting again with them in a couple of weeks, prior to doing a joint presentation to their Canadian Marine Advisory Council.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Todd Doherty
How many years has the MOA—the memorandum of agreement—been in place?
Acting Director General, Licensing and Planning, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
It was signed in 2006 and renewed in 2015.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Todd Doherty
Why wouldn't there be a more formal agreement in place with respect to vessel length or policies affecting marine safety and your department?
Acting Director General, Licensing and Planning, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Why would there not be...?
Patrick Vincent Regional Director General, Region - Québec, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I could answer that if you wish, Mr. Chair.
Vessel length is one of the subjects that we've discussed with Transport Canada on numerous occasions. In fact, this discussion took place in 2010, at least in the Quebec region, but I know that it happened in other regions also. It's one of the subjects that we touch base on. In fact, in the Quebec region, you have the Comité permanent sur la sécurité des bateaux de pêche du Québec, which has an annual meeting on safety where Transport, the Coast Guard, Fisheries and Oceans, the Bureau de la sécurité des transports du Canada, and also the École des pêches et de l'aquaculture du Québec participate in the meetings and go through all sorts of subjects. Length of boats is one of them.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Todd Doherty
Is it your testimony today that Transport Canada should be aware of all policies and measures taken by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans with respect to vessel length and the safety of fishers?
Acting Director General, Licensing and Planning, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We do collaborate with them extensively.
Regional Director General, Region - Québec, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Yes. In fact, we even discussed their—
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Todd Doherty
Okay. Thank you.
While appearing before committee on March 22, 2018, Transportation Safety Board representatives explained that they were not aware of DFO having a process in place to effectively assess policy impacts on safety, which would help prevent incidents and accidents. Does DFO have this type of process in place?
Acting Director General, Licensing and Planning, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We do indeed, and in fact I think my colleague was just about to provide some tangible examples of that sort of work.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Todd Doherty
Can I ask that you table those documents with this committee?
Regional Director General, Region - Québec, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Sure. It's even on the web with the Comité permanent des pêches.... It's all there.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Todd Doherty
I guess the question is, then, why would the Transportation Safety Board have that confusion regarding the communications in the relationship between the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and their department with respect to vessel length and safety measures that DFO implements?
Acting Director General, Licensing and Planning, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I think that in part, as they alluded to themselves during their testimony, they are an arm's-length regulator of the two departments—
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Todd Doherty
But again, your testimony earlier today was that you meet regularly.
Acting Director General, Licensing and Planning, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
That's with Transport Canada, not with the TSB.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Todd Doherty
Okay.
I have 41 seconds left. We will ask another question.
While appearing before this committee on February 15, DFO explained that “[t]he last major consultation that was sort of pan-Atlantic was when the 2003 consultations were undertaken to develop a set of 10 principles that were specific towards vessel-length replacement policies.” What were the 10 policies put forth?
Acting Director General, Licensing and Planning, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
If you'll bear with me for a second, I do have them here.
Acting Director General, Licensing and Planning, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I can.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Todd Doherty
Perfect.
With that, we'll go to Mr. Donnelly for seven minutes.
NDP
Fin Donnelly NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I want to pick up where you left off on the 2003 study. I think Ms. Perry referenced it earlier.
In February we also had DFO here at committee, and they explained that “[i]n 2003, a new approach for changing vessel replacement rules for Atlantic Canada was adopted following an extensive industry consultation process”. I'm wondering if we can just go back to 2003 to find out what provinces the rules affected.