Evidence of meeting #10 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was enforcement.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
November 25th, 2020 / 4:50 p.m.
President, Coldwater Lobster Association
This I don't know. Again, we don't agree with this. There is no accountability here. Certainly I don't think DFO is involved in the monitoring of the catch rates. This creates, as I pointed out earlier, a big problem. There's no accountability for what's coming out of the water.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Mr. Arnold.
We'll now go to Mr. Battiste for five minutes or less, please.
Liberal
Jaime Battiste Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
I would like to start off my questions with Mr. Berry.
I'm wondering how many different lobster associations and unions there are in Nova Scotia.
President, Coldwater Lobster Association
I'm not sure. There are numerous organizations and, again, if I give you a guess, it's just approximate. I simply don't know—15, 20 possibly. Some are multispecies associations and some are just lobster associations. I simply don't know the number.
Liberal
Jaime Battiste Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
What is the mandate of the associations for lobsters and fisheries?
President, Coldwater Lobster Association
Really, it's just to be accountable to members, try to provide the members with information and maybe bring forth some ideas, try to engage in science, dependent on the availability of money and such, especially on the science side.
Liberal
Jaime Battiste Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
How many Mi'kmaq members are there in these associations?
President, Coldwater Lobster Association
I'm not sure. I know our association—
President, Coldwater Lobster Association
Well, our association has, I think, seven or eight from the Native Council of Nova Scotia.
Liberal
Jaime Battiste Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
You talked about the good relationship that was determined between Acadia and places like Bear River. I'm wondering what they are doing well in terms of communicating with fisheries associations that Shubenacadie isn't doing well.
President, Coldwater Lobster Association
I'm not sure if it's communication. I just think it's the level of activity that's taken place. Certainly, what's happened up at St. Marys Bay particularly with Shubenacadie is a large amount of product in pots in the water, a large amount of product being taken out. The other two first nations you speak of are certainly fishing out of season, but the level of removal is nowhere near what Shubenacadie is taking. That still doesn't make it right. In our view, unless you have a licence from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans there should be no removal out of season.
Liberal
Jaime Battiste Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
You said there are several associations and several different unions that are talking about the fisheries, but you say there can be only one regulatory regime.
Can you give me your opinion on why there can be only one regulatory regime? Is this a legal thing, or is this an economic thing? Tell me about this.
President, Coldwater Lobster Association
I think it's just for the continuity of the fishery. I'll just look at southwest Nova. You have seasons, you have pot limits and you have certain conservation tools being used, whether they be escape hatches or size limits, and so on and so forth.
It's all being run by DFO. The continuity is there.
Liberal
President, Coldwater Lobster Association
Yes, it's what we're used to because it's been in place. I believe you just cannot have two, three or four—or even just two—different regulatory regimes.
This is a tried and true regulatory regime. Sometimes we disagree with it, too, but this has been developed over 50, 60, 70 and 80 years.
Is it perfect? Probably not. Everybody's still trying to improve on it, but I don't think you improve on it by all of a sudden starting another regulatory regime.
Liberal
Jaime Battiste Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
Even if it were transparent and all the regimes were transparent, do you think that would still be unacceptable to fishermen?
President, Coldwater Lobster Association
I think so. My opinion is that it would be unacceptable. There's one law, if I can put it—
Liberal
Jaime Battiste Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
There are three laws in Canada. There are indigenous laws, the French civil law and the English common law. There's a wide variety of legal pluralism in Canada. I'm wondering why that can't exist within the fisheries.
President, Coldwater Lobster Association
Mr. Battiste, I'm not a lawyer like you. Still, the one regulatory regime in this industry works best. I think it would just add to confusion and stuff like this.
I don't know why you'd actually want another regulatory regime to be developed, unless you're going to make massive changes. What is wrong with the existing regulatory regime?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Mr. Battiste. Your time has expired.
That brings us pretty well to the close of the public session with witnesses before we do a little bit of committee business to clew up.
NDP
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
No, Mr. Johns, we don't. I have to get this information done and looked after during this committee meeting. We are not permitted to go overtime today because of the other committees.
I will say thank you to our witnesses for enlightening us with their knowledge here this evening.
We'll let them leave the meeting now while we go into committee business. I won't be suspending.
I have just a couple of things for the upcoming meetings that we need discuss. First off, I will say that, as everybody knows, Monday, November 30 is our normal committee meeting, but it falls into the timeline that's up against the fall economic statement by the finance minister.
Some members have mentioned to me that they would like to be able to attend it, be a part of it or watch it. If we do that, it's right in our committee time. We have to decide to either go ahead with the committee on Monday, November 30 or to just cancel that meeting. I'm open to suggestions. I'll go with whatever the majority suggests we should do.
Are there any comments?
Mr. Williamson.
