Absolutely, we are.
Evidence of meeting #8 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 question.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #8 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 question.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We've been working on this for months.
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
For months...? It was raised a couple of years ago. It's been on the radar for several years.
Are you advising the committee you've only been working on it for a couple of months?
12:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I can speak to what I've been involved in. The issue of cash sales has been around, I'm sure, for decades.
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Just so we're clear, a cash sale is not illegal. It's only illegal if it's not reported.
12:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Yes, that's right.
I'm not sure what the question is.
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
The concern is when it's not reported. The minister spoke about the importance of sustainability and our international reputation. Our international reputation is built on our marine sustainability certification of species, which demand absolutely correct data on catch volumes. When it's unreported or under-reported, it's undermining the data in that key program. Again, are you aware of this concern and this practice?
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Are you now telling me that the department has been acting on it?
12:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
As you can imagine, this is something that involves not just our department.
12:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We're working with all our various partners: provincial, since obviously they have the jurisdiction over processing; the CRA; and some federal partners on this.
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Thank you, Mr. Sargent.
This is extremely important. It's been raised numerous times before this committee as a trend that's growing all too alarmingly. You have fishers who are watching and seeing what's going to go. It's extremely important that our country maintain our credibility on the MSC certification side of it.
Could you advise the committee on the rollout of the small craft harbours program? Our government has committed significant new dollars to the very critical and essential area of small craft harbours under your ministry. Can you advise us of how much of the last budget will be committed to rollout and projects before the end of this fiscal year?
If you don't have that, perhaps you could report back to the committee in detail.
12:15 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I'll turn to our ADM of fisheries and harbour management for this one.
Go ahead, Jean-Guy.
12:15 p.m.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Fisheries and Harbour Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We've made decisions on how the $300 million should be spent, our priorities and projects. However, on the rolling out of the cash and the project design, there may be a lag in the actual expenditures. The projects have to go out to tender, so the specific financials are not exactly determined. It takes a little bit of time. The decision on which projects, to try to get this money out in as quickly a fashion as possible, has already been taken, and we are currently trying to push through the procurement process. We could provide a more detailed list of these priorities.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
I would like more detail.
Could we assume, then, that the construction season coming up this summer will be quite active?
12:15 p.m.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Fisheries and Harbour Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We're hoping that, through the procurement process, it will be an active summer. For us, when you get money for two years, it is about getting projects that are, as close as possible, ready for the shovel.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
In the little bit of time I have left, could you provide to the committee, sometime, these additional contributions that our government has made? We upped, I believe, the A-base budget on the capital. How has that impacted the number of harbours that would still have barricades or would still have restrictions on them because of years of chronic underfunding in small craft harbours?
12:15 p.m.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Fisheries and Harbour Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
The department has had the same A-base budget for—
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
I'm talking about the additional capital expenditures. Our government authorized, I believe, $200 million and then $300 million.
12:15 p.m.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Fisheries and Harbour Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
That's right. There's been over $780 million of additional, what we call “temporary” spending in the small craft harbour for major capital projects. Dozens upon dozens of harbours are affected. We could provide a list of what projects were undertaken and those projects in which the money—
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
What I would like to know is how many harbours that were barricaded or viewed as unsafe have now been removed from the list as a result of these investments.
12:15 p.m.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Fisheries and Harbour Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I would not know the number offhand.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
No, I know you don't know offhand. That's why I'm asking you to provide it to the committee.