Fisheries Committee on Dec. 4th, 2024

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Okay. I'll ask this again: Is it unanimous that the motion be approved or is it on division?

(Motion agreed to)

That concludes your time.

We'll now go to Mr. Arnold for five minutes or less.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, witnesses, for being here.

Commissioner Pelletier, the minister is failing to ensure that fisheries law and regulations are being enforced. It's unclear if non-enforcement is because of a shortage of enforcement capacity.

If the minister requested it, would the Canadian Coast Guard be equipped and able to assist with enforcement of laws and regulations of fisheries?

[Mario Pelletier]

We don't have fishery officers on board Coast Guard ships right now, but we prioritize the work that needs to be done. There are a certain number of days dedicated to C and P, and we do make sure that we deliver those days.

Another good example was last summer through Operation North Pacific Guard. We deployed a Coast Guard ship through the north Pacific to do some IUU monitoring. That was the first time we've ever done that.

This is the kind of flexibility or the kind of prioritization that we do.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Thank you.

Ms. Gibbons, you stated in one of your comments, “They never have to engage if they are in danger”. Isn't this a signal to criminals and organized crime that if they threaten DFO C and P personnel, it will result in their backing off?

[Annette Gibbons]

Maybe I'll ask Adam to speak to this particular point, but if there is physical danger that the officers think is going to get out of hand and threaten their personal safety, they do not engage in that situation. That is when we would go to law enforcement for support.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

I think that's a significant enough answer.

Commissioner Pelletier, considering the violence that has emerged in the fisheries conflicts caused by the minister's failure to enforce laws and regulations, would the Coast Guard need to be armed if they assumed a supporting role in supporting fisheries enforcement?

[Mario Pelletier]

We are actually supporting fisheries enforcement. We have two ships out of Newfoundland that do NAFO patrols, and there's an onboarding team on board.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Would they need to be armed? That was the question.

[Mario Pelletier]

If they're going to do onboarding, then the onboarding team needs to be armed. Other than that, to work alongside a C and P officer on board our ship, we provide protective equipment such as body armour, but they don't need to be armed.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Okay. Thank you.

Mr. Burns, is there a director general for DFO's conservation and protection branch? If so, who would that be?

[Adam Burns, Assistant Deputy Minister, Programs Sector, Department of Fisheries and Oceans]

Yes, there is. The acting director general, who's been in place for a number of months now, is Anik Chartrand.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Thank you.

Mr. O'Dea, B.C.'s shrimp fishery is collapsing, unlike our neighbour's shrimp fisheries, which are harvesting record catches, driving strong coastal communities and providing healthy nutrition and protein for their communities. This is the result of DFO's Pacific shrimp resource management, which has heaped six—yes, six—precautionary approaches on B.C.'s fisheries with zero consideration of the cumulative effects that these have on British Columbia. This is costing B.C. harvesters hundreds of millions of dollars annually in lost revenue. This year, DFO required monitoring fees amounting to 43% of the value of the landed catch of B.C.'s shrimp fisheries. This is absolutely ludicrous oversight.

Mr. O'Dea, as the lone witness from DFO policy here, will you initiate an investigation into this matter and provide the committee with a written brief by year's end explaining why the DFO is shutting down B.C.'s shrimp fishery?

[Niall O'Dea, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Department of Fisheries and Oceans]

I would clarify that it's not the role of policy to investigate. However, if a written response to the question is requested, we can provide one.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

It's certainly requested, and it seems to be policy that is shutting this fishery down. It's ludicrous that there are so many precautionary principle approaches placed on this fishery when the harvesters themselves can show DFO that there is abundant biomass out there and they get no access to it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you, Mr. Arnold.

We'll now go to Mr. Cormier for five minutes or less.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Before I ask my questions of our honourable witnesses in the room, I have to go back to the comments of Mr. Perkins and Mr. Small regarding small craft harbours.

Can you believe this? My colleagues at the table voted against the last budget, which included more money for small craft harbours. Now they're begging to have projects in their ridings. I hope fishers are listening to this tonight because if they—

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

On a point of order, Mr. Chair, can we confirm where Mr. Cormier is? To some it looks like it could be a CBSA holding cell.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Chair, what's the point of order?

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

Mr. Chair, what was the point of this comment?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

It's been dealt with, Mr. Cormier. Continue, please.

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

I hope fishers in their respective ridings know that since they voted against that budget, there will be no more money for small craft harbours if they take office.

[An hon. member]

Oh, oh!

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

I have a suggestion for members: Do like their colleagues did for housing projects and write a letter to Minister—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Mr. Perkins, will you please stop talking out loud? Keep it to yourself, under your breath, please.