Fisheries Committee on Feb. 25th, 2020

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I'm just reading here the mandate letter for the Minister of Fisheries, and I know that I saw something about her needing to study the issue of traceability for seafood.

As you know, we ship a lot of products around the world now, especially from Atlantic Canada. We ship mostly live lobster, for example, to China, and our product is sold worldwide. I think it would be a good thing to study the traceability of the seafood products we export around the world.

I'm pretty sure it's in the mandate letter of the minister to work on the traceability of seafood products.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Mr. Arnold, do you want to speak? You indicated that when Mr. Johns was speaking.

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

No, I think I can cover it later, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Okay, it is in the mandate letter.

We'll vote on the motion as amended.

(Motion as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Mr. Arnold.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I have one more and I promise this is my final motion for today.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

We'll be busy until this time in 2021. There shouldn't be any more motions after that.

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

There is going to be other stuff coming.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Mr. Arnold, go ahead when you're ready.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Whereas Fraser River steelhead stocks continue to rapidly decline in abundance and that the decline of these stocks will have significant impact on the other Department of Fisheries and Oceans' management decisions, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), I move:

That the Committee undertake a study examining government measures that have been taken to reverse declining Fraser River Steelhead population units and examine what measures are available to restore these stocks to levels of abundance; and

That the Committee allot no fewer than six (6) two-hour meetings to receive said testimony; and

That the Committee also accept written briefs from individuals or organizations who wish to submit input; and

That the Committee submit its findings with recommendations in a report to the House with a request for a Government Response.

The reason I bring this up is that I realize steelhead have been a provincially managed species. The impact here to other fisheries, as we will probably find in the selective fisheries study.... I hope to be able to share information and testimony from one study to another, and I hope to get that support with the committee.

As these steelhead decline, if they should be listed as a species at extreme risk under the Species at Risk Act, I believe the act states that no one, without ministerial exemption, shall harm, injure, alter, damage, kill or interrupt any one of those species, meaning that you shall not do anything in the Fraser River that could impact one steelhead. It could have huge potential impacts on salmon fisheries on the entire west coast if this isn't addressed.

That's why I feel it's very important that this committee study government actions, provincial and federal, because I know the two are now talking on steelhead, and I think it's an emerging issue in British Columbia that has become very important.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Mr. Hardie.

[Ken Hardie, Liberal, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

You mostly covered off the questions I had about the nature and scope of this study. Is it not something that can be adequately handled in your other study on non-selective fishing methods? When you brought that motion forward steelhead was the first thing I thought of. I know there will be other species that would be included there, but can it not be adequately covered in that other study?

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

There are so many issues around steelhead: water flows in the habitat, stream enhancement that has or hasn't been done, the hatchery issues. The province has been reluctant to use hatcheries for steelhead. There are so many other factors they simply couldn't all fit into the study on selective fishing gear. Selective fishing gear will only be one small part of the steelhead issue.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Mr. Blanchette-Joncas.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

I want some clarifications regarding the management of steelhead stocks.

Are they managed by the federal government or the provinces?

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

Steelhead are typically managed by the provincial government, but because they are in the river at the same time as salmon, which are federally managed, and the opportunity to fish for salmon, both commercially—the first nations food, social and ceremonial—and recreationally, those salmon fisheries managed by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans could be severely impacted if the Fraser River steelhead are not managed back to a state of abundance. That is why I feel it's of national interest that we do this study.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Hearing no further discussion, I'll call the question.

(Motion agreed to)

Thank you, Mr. Arnold.

Mr. Johns.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Thank you.

In conversations with the clerk, we need to do some housekeeping on the in camera motion I made in the last committee meeting. Is that correct? I just want to make sure we present them. If I could, I'd like to clean up the part around our motion on in camera meetings. I'd like to make an amendment. Would that be the appropriate way to go, to amend each of the terms that I set out in the last motion? Maybe the clerk can answer that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Once a motion is adopted, Mr. Johns, it can't be amended, but you could add clarification maybe.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Okay.

There was a part we had in the motion that was adopted to discuss administrative matters. Right now it includes committee business. We want to clean that up to discuss matters regarding individuals' private information.

Maybe the clerk can help me with this because she flagged it as a real problem.

[The Clerk]

From what I understand, at the last meeting, you moved a motion regarding in camera meetings, and part (a) was about administrative matters, that the committee can meet in camera for that reason. What you mean to do today is to specify that committee business could be done in camera. Is that what you're saying?

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

That's correct.

[The Clerk]

Because the motion was adopted by the committee, you would have to suggest this as the interpretation the chair can give, which is that committee business can be done in camera.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Correct. Do you need a motion?

[The Clerk]

You seemed to indicate you also wanted to add a point (d), because I know that some other committees have adopted a similar routine motion.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

It was in regard to an individual's private information, making sure that's included. If it's not included in the previous motion, it needs to be included in today's proposal.