Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the witnesses today.
My questions will be for Mr. Hoag and Mr. Forsyth initially.
Representatives of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have appeared as witnesses in this study.
I've asked those witnesses if they saw how eliminating IUU—or illegal, unreported and unregulated—fisheries through traceability could benefit conservation, mitigate unacceptable labour conditions and affect how Canadians buy their food. Neither the CFIA nor DFO officials answered the question directly. They said that preventing fish and seafood caught illegally or with unacceptable labour conditions such as slavery was “outside of [their] mandate”.
To Mr. Hoag and Mr. Forsyth, does CBSA or the Department of Foreign Affairs have any mandates that would cause them to be concerned or take action on fish and seafood caught illegally or with unacceptable labour conditions such as slavery?
Mr. Hoag, please go first.