Evidence of meeting #103 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was going.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Mario Pelletier Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard
I'm not sure of the exact answer. I know we're working on updating our NAVTEX network, but I would have to come back. That's very technical.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
Why has the Coast Guard chosen an old technology that can't reach the range of the new ITU standards?
Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard
Again, we're updating the equipment as we speak. There's a project approved as part of our investment plan. I don't know the—
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
You chose a company that has old technology. It's not the new technology. It has limited range. It doesn't go as far as required. In fact, your tender says that you might change to the new technology in the future.
I've met with the companies involved in this. It's impossible to take the existing technology and change it to the new technology. You have to buy new technology. Why would you be spending taxpayer money now to replace a system with old technology that within two to three years, when the international standards are agreed to, will have to be replaced again? It's a total waste of taxpayer money.
Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard
I appreciate your concern. We're going to look into that. I was not aware of that issue.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
Do we have somebody on the ITU international council who's negotiating the standards? They have not yet been set, by the way.
Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard
We are part of many international associations for standards, such as the international association of lighthouse—
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
I'm not asking about lighthouses. In this case, on critical, life-saving communications, is DFO on the international committee? They have not set the standards, yet you're buying new equipment that doesn't meet the new technology.
Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard
I'll have to seek some details and come back to you.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
Ms. Gibbons, just one more time, why isn't there a ban? How can CBSA do their job if there isn't a ban? They don't have to wait two years for regulations. GAC can issue an order on an export permit prohibition now.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I can speak to the Fisheries Act and the authorities we have under the Fisheries Act. I can't speak to other statutes.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Mr. Perkins.
We'll now go to Mr. Morrissey for six minutes or less, please.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Thank you, Chair.
My first question is for Mr. Pelletier of the Coast Guard.
It's been a while since the committee was updated on the progress of your near-shore Coast Guard fleet. We're well into that program. Could you quickly tell us how many new vessels have been delivered under that program and how many you have left to go?
Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard
Are you talking about the entire national shipbuilding—
Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard
As you know, we got the approval for the money just last year, and we made an announcement last year on the construction of the new near-shore fisheries science vessel, which is going to be the first science vessel that's hybrid in Canada. The contract was awarded to Forillon.
We're progressing on a number of—
Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard
Yes, it's the first in Canada that will use hybrid propulsion, which is actually a huge advantage for science because it's very quiet, so it allows for the data collected to be very precise.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Okay, good.
What about the smaller vessels that are in a lot of the small communities around the west coast and the east coast? You've been upgrading those. How many have been delivered? How many are yet to come?
Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard
The project was for 20 units. I think we are taking delivery of the 16th one, so it's going extremely well. Those have proven to be very efficient, and both the users and those receiving the service are very appreciative of the boats.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Thank you.
Obviously, the Coast Guard provides a very valuable service, not only to the east coast fishery but to the population in general, with the timely rebuilding of the fleet.
Ms. Gibbons—or whomever you want to direct the questions to—I have a series of questions, and you may have to get back to the committee on these.
Earlier, when the minister was here, we had a series of questions on small craft harbours. I would like you to provide to the committee the total budgetary expenditure of small craft harbours beginning in fiscal year 2016, up until fiscal year 2023, and how it compares with the eight years prior to fiscal year 2016.
If you can, please also do that, Ms. Gibbons, in the area of the department's capacity to provide adequate protections. The department provides protection personnel, and I want to see a comparison, because a lot of questions were raised about capacity. They did not want to see a negative impact from any cost reductions. I want to look at the same period for the protection personnel part of the department and how it compares to the previous time frame.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Do you mean conservation and protection?
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Yes. I want to know what the budget was and what the number of personnel was. Then, if you could get back to the committee on this, I want to look at the key science area of the department—what the personnel and budget allocation were in that period compared to the previous eight-year period.
Is that something you could provide the committee with?
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Madam Deputy Minister, from where you sit, you have to oversee a complex department with many regulatory challenges and challenges in the enforcement of the law on species. As the committee is going to review the Fisheries Act, what areas of the act could be improved to assist the department in its ability to better enforce the conservation and protection of various species?