Fisheries Committee on Oct. 28th, 2022

[Gilles Thériault]

Yes, it is from my perspective. This was really a bomb. As a country, we had to react quickly. It was uncharted territory.

I'm not criticizing the government. The government and the department have been doing a tremendous amount of work, as far as I'm concerned. We're still feeling our way through this. It doesn't mean they're right all the time, but I am not criticizing the attempts the Government of Canada has made to try to address the issue. On the contrary, I applaud it.

Having said that, we need to further our work. We need to perfect it and make sure we continue to do this. For example, there was the question of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch recommending that Americans stop buying snow crab and lobsters. How ridiculous is that? The government took a pretty good stand. I thought it was okay, but we need to be able to do more on that level.

We, as processors, were quite involved. I didn't get a chance to talk about this, but I'm really impressed with the fisheries improvement program we have. We were certified as an industry with MSC—Marine Stewardship Council—and because of the whale entanglement, our MSC was taken away from us. A lot of our buyers were saying that, if we are not certified MSC anymore, they're not sure they can buy our product. This is what's happening.

Now we're taking steps by including the fishermen, working with government, working with NGOs including the New England Aquarium, and working with our buyers. We've created this group on this project called the fisheries improvement project, so we can return to our MSC certification.

This is tremendous coordination, so I'm not knocking anybody. I'm just saying that this is evolving very fast. DFO needs to do more to make sure its in sync with how fast this is going in terms of ropeless technology.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you.

I'll let Mr. Morrissey know I let him go a little bit over actually, even though he didn't recognize me at the former committee, as he mentioned.

I want to say thank you to our witnesses for appearing here today and sharing their knowledge.

We'll take a recess for a couple of minutes as we get ready for the second panel.

We're suspended.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

We're back.

I'd like to welcome our second panel of witnesses.

Representing the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, we have with us Marc Mes, director general, fleet and maritime services, Canadian Coast Guard. We have Robert Wight, director general, vessel procurement, Canadian Coast Guard. Virtually, we have Mr. Nabaa, director general, marine construction sector.

I believe Mr. Mes is going to give a statement for five minutes or less, please.

[Marc Mes, Director General, Fleet and Maritime Services, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans]

Thank you very much.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and committee members.

My name is Marc Mes. I am the director general of fleet and maritime services at the Canadian Coast Guard. I am accompanied today by Mr. Rob Wight, our director general of vessel procurement, and by Nicholas Nabaa, director general of major marine construction at PSPC.

I am speaking to you today from the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

My role at the Canadian Coast Guard is to ensure the delivery of fleet services in support of Coast Guard and government programs and to ensure the provision of services to mariners that ensure their safety and promote efficient movement of marine trade. My two colleagues are responsible for renewing the Canadian Coast Guard fleet through the national shipbuilding strategy.

The Canadian Coast Guard is pleased to be here today to speak about our efforts to support and protect the North Atlantic right whales.

As the agency mandated to ensure the safety of mariners and of the marine environment, the Canada Coast Guard cares deeply about our oceans, marine mammals, and the entire marine environment. We work closely with our Fisheries and Oceans Canada colleagues in their quest to ensure sustainable fisheries and healthy marine environments.

This is primarily achieved by the provision of on-water platforms so that key activities such as science at sea and conservation and protection can be effectively delivered through Canada's largest fleet.

Our fleet of over 120 vessels, including icebreakers, science vessels, buoy tenders and search and rescue vessels, to name a few, are mission-ready, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our fleet is the core component for the delivery of Coast Guard programs. We are working to strengthen and renew it, thanks to the national shipbuilding strategy.

At the core of our current fleet is our icebreakers. Up to 19 icebreakers operate each winter to make sure that marine traffic moves safely through ice-infested waters. These same icebreakers also facilitate access to open waters in the spring so that fisheries, such as the snow crab fisheries in Quebec and the gulf regions, can be opened as early as possible while not compromising the lives of mariners.

The criticality of these icebreakers cannot be understated. The Canadian Coast Guard works extremely closely with all of our stakeholders to meet their expectations during the winter period and in the challenging shoulder seasons. That is when there is still ice in multiple areas. At the same time, ice has cleared in other areas, and marine navigation buoys need to be placed to ensure safe navigation. All the while, the fishing industry is eager to start their season.

From a fleet assets point of view, the shoulder seasons are one of the most challenging times of the year. Coast Guard icebreakers are in high demand. Unfortunately, sometimes the demand outstrips our capacity, and difficult decisions must be made to prioritize services.

We have also started to make use of third party vessels, or what we call “spot charters”, through established standing offer contracts that allow us to draw down on these services if and when required. This allows us to supplement our fleet when demand exceeds our capacity.

As we accept our new fleet, I am pleased to report that the Canadian Coast Guard will be better placed and prepared to support the difficult shoulder seasons and to support growing stakeholder needs more broadly. This is thanks to a new class of icebreaker we are currently designing called the midshore, multi-mission ship. These smaller icebreakers will enable us to operate more effectively in shallower water.

I would also like to inform this committee of the significant contribution that the Canadian Coast Guard makes to support whale-related information sharing with mariners. The Coast Guard has created a mammal desk, one of which is at Les Escoumins at the marine communications and traffic services centre. This serves as a critical resource to provide mariners with key information such as whale location, navigation warnings, temporary speed restrictions in shipping lanes, area closures and other relevant information.

We work closely with Transport Canada, who, as the regulatory agency, ensures compliance with these navigational restrictions on vessels in an effort to protect the North Atlantic right whales from collision with vessels in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

In closing, I hope I have conveyed to you how we are working closely with our clients and partners, including our DFO colleagues, on important matters such as protecting the North Atlantic right whales and the key role of our icebreakers in supporting them.

The Canadian Coast Guard is working to ensure that our future fleet will be better placed to meet the expanding needs of our partners and clients, and we are prepared to ensure that our services continue until the new fleet arrives.

On this, I will end my remarks, Mr. Chair. We would be pleased to answer any of your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you for that.

We'll now go to Mr. Small for six minutes or less, please.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses. Thanks for coming to this very important study.

My first question is this: Does the Gulf Stream take water from the eastern seaboard into the Gulf of St. Lawrence?

[Marc Mes]

You're asking a question that unfortunately I am not able to answer. That is more from a science perspective.

I don't know necessarily where that water would come from. I suspect that the Atlantic water, of course, goes into the gulf and into the river, but that's as far as I know from a scientific perspective. I'm sorry.

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

Okay. I'm wondering which direction the Gulf Stream flows and whether some dead whales could be brought into that area from the eastern seaboard. The eddies that circulate inside that part of the gulf could be a catch basin for debris and dead whales.

What do you think?

[Marc Mes]

I'm sorry, Mr. Chair. I just can't answer that question.

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

Okay. It's not a problem.

To go on to my next question, given that we have restricted speeds in some of these areas, are vessels allowed to travel at night and in restricted visibility?

[Marc Mes]

Yes, vessels are allowed to traffic at night in these restricted areas. There is no prevention.

What they are restricted to do is related to speed. When there are whales that are identified, the restrictions are put in place, monitored by Transport Canada, and any vessel that goes outside of that speed for any more than 95 seconds is automatically notified and a contravention is issued and sent to Transport Canada for follow-up as the regulatory body that is responsible for that.

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

Okay. What's the vessel length in the United States that's restricted by speed versus in Canada?

[Marc Mes]

All vessels are restricted by speed in Canada in those restricted areas, whether it be a search and rescue boat—unless it's on a search and rescue call, of course—or a large tanker.

All vessels are restricted, and that information is issued to mariners through navigational warnings, notices to mariners and postings that go through our marine communications and traffic services centre at Les Escoumins, through continuous broadcasting messages to the mariners informing them of these restrictions in these specific areas.

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

Okay. We heard witnesses earlier in this study say that Canada has done more in the last five years than the United States has done in the last 25 years in the endeavour to protect the right whales.

What I've found is that our minimum length vessel that would be restricted in speed in those areas is 42.64 feet. In the United States, it's 65 feet. That's what I've found.

[Marc Mes]

Yes, I can't speak to the difference between Canada and the U.S. and some of the actions they're taking on behalf of the protection of whales. I can say that the actions that Canada has taken are significant and have made a significant difference over the last number of years in—number one—making mariners, shipping and industry that much more aware of these restrictions as we move forward.

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

How many vessels did the Coast Guard intercept last year that were breaking the speed limit in restricted areas?

[Marc Mes]

The Coast Guard doesn't intercept. The Coast Guard identifies and monitors vessels. If a vessel goes over the restriction of 10 knots, it would then issue the contravention, notify the vessel and pass that information forward to Transport Canada, as the regulatory agency to follow up. There is a potential administrative monetary penalty that Transport Canada and their enforcement officers would then apply. What we do is that we establish and we communicate with the mariners, and then we move forward and pass that information along.

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

How would you describe the vessel density south of the border—we'll say in the eastern seaboard—compared with what we have in the areas that are of more concern in the Gulf of St. Lawrence? How would you describe it?

[Marc Mes]

I think traffic densities on the eastern seaboard and within the Gulf of St. Lawrence are significant, whether it's above the border or below. These are key areas where ships will be going, whether it's into New York, Boston, Philadelphia or any of the major ports along the eastern seaboard. As you know, there's also significant traffic that comes down into the St. Lawrence. It is the largest pathway into central Canada.

As a matter of fact, the Great Lakes and that region have been identified as the fifth-largest GDP in all of the world—both Canada and U.S.—because of course vessels go down and will go to Detroit, Michigan, or up to Canada.

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

Do I have time to get one quick one in?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Yes, you can have one quick question.

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

What's the percentage of vessels, if you look at the total combined violators of the speed criteria in terms of commercial fishers versus non-commercial fishers, that have been found violating thus far?

[Marc Mes]

I wouldn't have that information specifically, but I could have a look to see if we could break that down based on the number of contraventions we've had in the last couple years.

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

I'd like to have that submitted in written form. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you, Mr. Small.

I think that part of his answer will be provided if it's available.

We'll now go to Mr. Cormier for six minutes or less, please.