Fisheries Committee on May 9th, 2024

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

There's no doubt, but will you question why there's zero improvement in the data that comes in from the sentinel fishery, which you pay $700,000 a year to receive? Will you question why that data is not improving while the stewardship fishery has seen its per unit catch data go through the roof? It's the same fishermen who are involved one day in the sentinel fishery and the next day in the stewardship fishery. It's absolutely crazy.

Will you question that? Will you factor in why there are some discrepancies here when you set this year's quota and will you listen to the FFAW and their harvesters who are on the water and know that the stock has recovered? You've been quoted as having said that the fishermen are your “eyes and ears”. Will you listen to your eyes and ears?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

There will be collaboration. Ultimately, I will make the decision.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you, Mr. Small.

We'll now go to Mr. Cormier for three minutes.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Madam Minister, thank you for being with us for two hours; my colleagues and I are extremely grateful.

I think we could end the meeting by giving you the floor on this important topic. As you said, the fisheries have changed a lot in recent years. Some species are doing better, but others are seeing their stocks decline. As you know, there is a new generation of fishers. Young people want to take over from their parents in order to continue the tradition. However, it is difficult in some sectors.

There will soon be a review of the Fisheries Act. How do you think we can support the new generation that wants to continue what is not only a tradition, but also a very important occupation for our communities, including yours and mine? Do you have any ideas on what the government or the Department of Fisheries and Oceans could do to help the new generation continue this wonderful job that my father did all his life?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

I think two things are going to be important for the future of the fisheries.

First, if we want to be able to ensure food security, it's important to be concerned about climate change and the warming of the oceans, the pace of which is accelerating around the world right now.

Second, it'll be important to look at access to licences. Who will be able to access a fishing licence? At present, the price of fishing licences is increasing so much that future fishers, the next generation, are going into debt. They can't afford a fishing licence. For example, in my riding, a lobster licence sold for $10 million. What young person can pay $10 million for a licence? So we need to know who is behind the buyers, who is going to be the guarantor of the buyer to the financial institutions. If we want to ensure that the owner‑operators are really the owners of the licences, how should we go about it?

After hearing various associations talk about it, we want to put measures in place to enable fishers and families to make a good living from the fishing sector. That said, we also want to protect the resource for future generations.

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

Thank you, Madam Minister.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you, Mr. Cormier.

I want to say a huge thank you to the minister for coming today and to Mr. Goodyear, Ms. Gibbons and Mr. Pelletier for coming with the minister and providing such valuable information to the committee on the main estimates today.

Again, we'll allow our witnesses to exit, and then we'll continue with 10 minutes of committee business.

I'll suspend for a moment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

With the time remaining, we have some voting to do.

In all, we have three votes on the main estimates. Unless there are any objections, I will seek unanimous consent of the committee to group the votes together for a decision. Is there unanimous consent to proceed in this way?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Shall all votes referred to the committee in the main estimates, less the amount voted in interim supply, carry?

DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES AND OCEANS

Vote 1—Operating expenditures..........$2,175,845,920

Vote 5—Capital expenditures...............$1,826,755,893

Vote 10—Grants and contributions..........$491,765,345

(Votes 1, 5 and 10 agreed to on division)

Shall I report the votes back to the House?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

On division.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

We're now in committee to discuss the supplementary budget for the elver study that was distributed earlier today. Is it the will of the committee to adopt the budget in the amount of $18,000?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

At our next meeting, on May 21, we will welcome Ms. Sylvie Lapointe and the Atlantic Groundfish Council for the first hour on the study of redfish quotas set by DFO. Then we will resume the review of version one of the IUU report.

Mr. Kelloway.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Are we finished on this piece?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Yes.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

I'd like to move a motion. I move:

That the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans acknowledge the importance of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to protecting the right of fish harvesters to protest government decisions with which they disagree and call on the Leader of the Opposition to publicly rule out the use of the notwithstanding clause to limit protests by both commercial and indigenous fish harvesters. Furthermore, the committee shall report its opinion to the House.

The motion is going around in both official languages.

Mr. Chair, I know our time is limited. I just want to take a couple of moments to discuss the motion on the table and explain to the committee why it's so very important that we have this discussion.

Over the last two weeks, we've seen the Leader of the Opposition openly attack the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the very document that protects Canada's fundamental rights. It is under assault by not just the Leader of the Opposition but also every member of the Conservative caucus who refuses to stand up to do the right thing.

The charter is not just a piece of paper. It's not a meaningless document that can be picked over by the government of the day—any government of the day—to choose which fundamental rights are less important than others. It's not a food menu, and I think it's been said that it's not a buffet of a Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The charter is also directly related to the work that we do on fisheries and oceans. There's not a person around this table, especially from Atlantic Canada, who doesn't understand that the fundamental right to protest is regularly exercised. Almost as a tradition, fish harvesters and their families express deep disappointment at times with governments of all colours.

The Conservative Party, its leader and its members around this table are threatening that right. Even if they protest and say that they won't, how are we truly to know what's in the heart of their leader? How are we truly to know what they would accept or not accept?

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Have a chat with them.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

We've seen already that the Leader of the Opposition is willing to say different things in front of different groups of people. We've seen that he's willing to do anything for the taste of power.

It is abundantly clear, Mr. Chair, that we have a challenge here. I think there are opportunities for Conservative colleagues to have a choice. They can vote to support this motion and make it clear that overriding the rights of protesters is unacceptable, or they can choose to support a leader who demonstrates time and time again that he does not care and that he'll do anything to win.

They need to ask themselves clearly, Mr. Chair, this: Is a man who is willing to do anything or say anything to win power truly going to be stopped by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms if he disagrees with it?

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

I have a point of order.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

If squashing protest means gaining power, do you think he won't?

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Mr. Perkins.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

I note that we've gone beyond the allotted time for this committee as the member reads his PMO talking points.