Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and committee members.
I'll start by saying that our thoughts go to both Canadians and Americans affected by the extreme wildfires in several regions across the country, including, particularly, those directly affected in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Alberta and the Northwest Territories. The safety and well-being of Canadians and our employees in these regions are priorities. As the situation continues to develop, we urge everyone to follow the guidance of officials.
My name is Niall O’Dea, and I am the senior assistant deputy minister for strategic policy at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. My colleague Richard Goodyear, chief financial officer, and I appreciate the opportunity to appear before this committee on behalf of Fisheries and Oceans Canada in regard to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
I'll begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
The Great Lakes are a valuable resource shared by Canada and the United States. More than 11 million Canadians depend on the Great Lakes for food, drinking water, employment and recreation. However, the Great Lakes fisheries are under constant threat from habitat loss, pollution, and invasive species including sea lampreys.
For over 60 years, Canada, in close partnership with the United States, has supported the work of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. This includes work to combat the invasive sea lamprey, which presents an ongoing risk to the fisheries; investment in science; and binational efforts for sound fishery management, in order to maintain an abundant fishery for generations to come. In accordance with Canada’s obligations under the 1954 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries between Canada and the United States, we fully support the work of the GLFC and transboundary efforts to manage the health of the Great Lakes fisheries.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada plays a critical role across the Great Lakes in managing impacts to fish and their habitat under the habitat protection provisions of the Fisheries Act; implementing the aquatic invasive species regulations; delivering the Canadian portion of the sea lamprey control program for the commission; administering the Species at Risk Act; and managing the Asian carp program. Nearly 50 dedicated staff are involved in the sea lamprey control program alone.
While there have been some challenges to our relationship in the past, primarily related to Canada’s financial contributions and engagement in the commission, DFO and the GLFC secretariat have worked together to make significant progress to remedy these in a short amount of time.
To address the identified gaps in Canada's contributions to the commission, funding was announced as part of budget 2022, providing $44.9 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, and $9 million ongoing to Fisheries and Oceans Canada to support the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. This increased funding takes Canada’s annual contribution to the work of the commission to over $19 million.
Departmental officials have addressed the second challenge by working closely with the commission’s secretariat to ensure there is a mutual understanding of the necessary scope of Canadian engagement and the required implementation plans, procedures and priorities. For example, following constructive discussions between the department and the secretariat, a change in the process was agreed upon to see all budget 2022 funding received by the department for 2022-23 and 2023-24 flow directly to the secretariat.
I want to conclude by noting that collaborative efforts between Canada and the United States, led by the commission, have reduced the sea lamprey populations in the Great Lakes by 90%. This work has directly facilitated the ongoing restoration of traditional, ceremonial, commercial and recreational fisheries in the region.
The dedicated staff that conduct work under the umbrella of the convention—whether they are at the department, in the province of Ontario, at the commission's secretariat in Ann Arbour or across partner agencies in the United States—care deeply and work very hard to make the commission a success.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada is committed to working closely with the commission and our U.S. partners to advance the objectives of the GLFC, and we look forward to continuing that collaboration in the months and years ahead.
Thank you for your attention. We welcome your questions.