Evidence of meeting #2 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 amendment.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Ms. Tina Miller
Michael Chalupovitsch  Committee Researcher

12:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

That was a previous hand up.

Go ahead, Mr. Kelloway.

12:40 p.m.

Liberal

Mike Kelloway Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the time.

I think there's merit to the member's motion. Certainly I've heard about the foreign fishers in Canadian waters, especially on the west coast, but again I'll go back to saying that I think it's important to define the scope a little bit more on the illegal fishery in order for us to get the most we can out of the study.

I have a question for MP Zimmer, through you.

I wonder if you could speak to who the study is intended for or targeted at. It would be helpful for me to understand the intended scope.

12:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Go ahead, Mr. Zimmer.

12:45 p.m.

Conservative

Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC

Thank you for the question.

Mr. Kelloway, I don't know whether or how well you know the B.C. fisheries. There are many cases of these incidents on the coast and in rivers. The study is really just to get to the bottom of them and to dig into how we can do our diligence to help those sockeye and salmon make their way up the river without being caught illegally and used for nefarious purposes. That's the intent. It's simply to see that our threatened stocks are not threatened anymore and are protected as they should be and conserved as they should be. I think the intent of this study is to address that.

Hopefully that clarifies the scope.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Thank you, Mr. Zimmer. Mr. Hardie is next.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Through you, there are two things, one of which is more of a procedural thing.

It's not included in the motions, but when it's time to send the study on to Parliament, we should also make Standing Order 109, which requests a government response, a common element of all of the studies that we send forward to Parliament so that we get the most efficient use of time and so that the government is automatically put on notice that we want to hear from them about the study and the recommendations.

The second one goes back to something Mr. Zimmer said. Is it your intention to focus only on foreign fishing, or would you be looking at domestic fishing activities as well? I think I heard you refer to “upriver”. I just want to get some clarification there. If that is the case, then I'll have an amendment.

12:45 p.m.

Conservative

Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC

I think it involves all illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. That's the intent. It's for coastal fishing or otherwise.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC

Thank you.

In that respect I'd propose an amendment to add the following words to the motion: “and that the motion is without prejudice to aboriginal and treaty rights”.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Mr. Hardie, do you also want to add a request for a response from the government, since you mentioned that earlier?

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC

We could, but it's not necessary. That's something that can be done when we vote at the conclusion of the study to send it to Parliament. We can include that wording then.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Okay. I thought you wanted to include it now. You're adding as an amendment “and that the motion is without prejudice to aboriginal and treaty rights”.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC

That's correct.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Okay.

Is there any discussion on the amendment?

I see that Mr. Arnold has his hand up, and Mr. Kelloway. Is it to speak to the amendment?

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Mike Kelloway Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS

Mr. Chair, I will take my hand down, because I actually was going to speak to the important intervention that MP Hardie made.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Thank you.

Now there are no hands up, so hearing no discussion on the proposed amendment, we will vote on the amendment.

Is there any dissent?

Okay. I will take it that all are in favour of the amendment.

We will—

12:45 p.m.

Conservative

Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC

Mr. Chair, just to be clear, I think you're moving quickly through the discussion into the vote. I don't know if we realized that you were calling the vote.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

There were no more hands up for any discussion on the proposed amendment. That's why I moved to go to a vote on it.

12:45 p.m.

Conservative

Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC

Just to be clear, has that vote occurred?

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

No, it hasn't.

12:45 p.m.

Conservative

Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC

Okay. That's what I was clarifying.

Thank you, Chair.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

I see that Mr. Kelloway has his hand up now. No, he doesn't. Okay.

Now Mr. Perkins has his hand up.

12:45 p.m.

Conservative

Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS

Just as a clarification from the mover of the amendment, does this mean that we will not study any [Technical difficulty—Editor]

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Go ahead, Mr. Hardie.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC

Mr. Chair, usually this issue is normally focused on foreign fisheries, but if domestic fisheries, particularly upriver, are going to be included, we just need to state that the work we do and the discussions we have are done without prejudice to aboriginal and treaty rights. That needs to be reflected and recognized in the process that we would follow.

12:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Thank you, Mr. Hardie.

I have Mr. Cormier.