Fisheries Committee on March 10th, 2020

Evidence of meeting #4 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 43rd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was work.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

State of the Pacific Salmon

Committee Business

Members speaking

Before the committee

Rebecca Reid Regional Director General, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Jen O'Donoughue Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer, Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Andrew Thomson Regional Director, Fisheries Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans

10:40 a.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

What kinds of investments are you making at management tables? In my riding, I have West Coast Aquatic. They are chronically underfunded, and they serve such a great role. They take the pressure off DFO and bring all stakeholders together. Can you speak about what kinds of resources you're looking at to support those tables? We want the minister to actually go and join them.

10:40 a.m.

Regional Director General, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Rebecca Reid

One of the things that I'm really happy about is the new investments in the Fisheries Act, because parts of those new investments are around integrated watershed planning processes. On the support for West Coast Aquatic and the investment in oceans management and oceans planning, those pieces are fundamental to supporting where we go with the department. We need those integrated kinds of freshwater and ocean water planning pieces. West Coast Aquatic is very well positioned to support those types of activities. They are a very effective group.

10:40 a.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

Will we see those resources soon?

10:40 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

I'm sorry, Mr. Johns. You are way over.

I want to do a couple of minutes of committee business, so I will quickly say thank you to our guests today for being back once again to present before committee.

It has been a gruelling two hours of questioning as well, of course, so again, thank you for your time and for everything you do for the department and for our fish stocks right across this country.

We'll suspend for a moment. I just have one question to deal with in committee business, so we will give you some time to go in camera. Thank you.

[Proceedings continue in camera]