Evidence of meeting #98 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 c-68.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Fin Donnelly NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
What's at stake if this legislation doesn't include wording on how we rebuild our stocks?
Executive Director, Oceana Canada
We have roughly 27 stocks that are probably in the critical zone. We've lost 55% of our fish. If we talk about institutional changes, I don't see any. We can expect that downward trend to continue over time if we don't take this opportunity to fix it.
If we put that guidance in there, backed with good science, this can be the inflection point that puts us on track to increased abundance in our oceans.
NDP
Fin Donnelly NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
In terms of other work that you're doing, how important does this rate with other campaigns or things that you think Bill C-68 needs to include?
Executive Director, Oceana Canada
I feel pretty comfortable saying that it's certainly our top priority now.
I was teaching a class recently, and I reflected that I think this bill, and this element of the bill, is the most important thing I've worked on in my 20-year career in conservation. I believe strongly about the importance and the impact and the opportunity that we have on this.
NDP
Fin Donnelly NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
That's I think a global perspective, and obviously a national perspective here in Canada. I appreciate your testimony and your being here today.
Mr. Sullivan, you emphasized the importance of owner-operator and fleet separation.
I'm wondering, again, if you have specific wording that you could provide the committee to strengthen Bill C-68 on how that's done, certainly on the east coast but also even on the west coast. You have more experience in Atlantic Canada than we do on the west coast. I come from western Canada, British Columbia. We don't enjoy that strength of the owner-operator, fleet separation policy in British Columbia.
If you're able to provide wording and any wisdom or insight on how the west coast would follow your lead on the east coast, that would be helpful.
President, Fish, Food and Allied Workers
Thanks very much.
We work with our colleagues in British Columbia, and obviously they're envious. Even if it was somewhat flawed and people could get around it, they're envious of our owner-operator and what it's done to maintain strong economies in our coastal communities.
We will be following up with some details and working with some other harvesting organizations to provide more details in the next week or so.
Is it possible that I could indulge very quickly on rebuilding plans as well?
President, Fish, Food and Allied Workers
I know I'm taking your time. I'll try to make it very brief.
I would agree, and harvesters and people in our communities would agree, on a need to have strong, healthy, robust, sustainable fisheries. We need to have our fisheries as healthy as possible.
The problem, from what we've seen from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans—and again it probably comes to resources—is that they have not been able to effectively have a full ecosystem-based management. We've seen ad hoc precautionary approaches. We've seen ad hoc and inconsistent stock reference points. It has made it difficult for harvesters to have confidence that legislating a rebuilding plan would make sense. We want the same things. We just don't have the confidence in that now.
Even specifically, when we look at northern cod, which was mentioned, we've gone from 25,000 tonnes in 2006 to over 300,000 tonnes just this past year—incredible growth by any measure for a stock. The harvest is the lowest it's ever been, only at a couple of per cent. The issue there is the other predators; namely, harvesters believe seals are having an issue.
We'd say to look at the real issues. We need to have harvesters more involved rather than a prescriptive rebuilding plan when the department is not ready.
NDP
Fin Donnelly NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Great, thank you.
I think your point is well taken. We can have strong laws and excellent policy, even strong regulations, but we absolutely need to resource the department to carry out what's enacted in law and in our policies. I appreciate that.
In the final minute that I have, Mr. Gratton, could you tell the committee if you have an idea of how many water bodies frequented by fish are affected by mining projects in Canada?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
No, there isn't a concrete number that I could give you.
NDP
Fin Donnelly NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Is there a way that your organization could take a look and find out how...?
You know how many mines there are in Canada.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
There are about 200 active mines.
Canada is a very wet country, and in parts of the north you find more water than there is land. I think you would find that pretty well all human activities in Canada affect the water, not just mining.
NDP
Fin Donnelly NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Would you say that almost all those mines affect one water body?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
Not necessarily. It depends where they are .
NDP
Fin Donnelly NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
You could perhaps look into that and get that to the committee.
I think that would be very important, because obviously you can't—
Liberal
Vice-President, Environment and Regulatory Affairs, Mining Association of Canada
I don't think we can, partly because, especially when you go north you're talking water bodies, so—
Vice-President, Environment and Regulatory Affairs, Mining Association of Canada
With one thousand in one little square kilometre, it's very difficult to make that number.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bernadette Jordan
Since we had agreed to five minutes off, I'm afraid that is the end of the questioning for this round. I want to thank our guests today.
Mr. Sullivan, thank you for appearing via video conference.
Mr. Gratton, Ms. Laurie-Lean, and Mr. Laughren, thank you again for appearing today. We're going to suspend for a few minutes until we change witnesses.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bernadette Jordan
Welcome back to the second hour on the Fisheries Act review.
Appearing before committee in this hour, from the Canadian Electricity Association, we have Sergio Marchi, president and chief executive officer, and Terry Toner, director of environmental services, Nova Scotia Power. We have Ian MacPherson, who is the executive director from the Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association. On teleconference, we have Dr. Susanna Fuller from Oceans North Canada.
We are going to start with the Canadian Electricity Association.
For your first 10 minutes, will you both be presenting?
Sergio Marchi President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Electricity Association
That is correct.