Fisheries Committee on Dec. 5th, 2023

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Sproul, for being here today.

I'm going to direct the remainder of my questions to Mr. McIsaac.

Mr. McIsaac, I appreciate that my colleague, Mr. Arnold, brought up the prawn tubbing example that happened in British Columbia, because it's just such a good example of what happens when we have decisions being made by those who don't actually understand the fishery on the water. Perhaps they have good intentions, but I think the prawn tubbing example is just such a good example of a lack of understanding of how it actually works on the water versus high-level...theoretically how one would like to see it work.

I'm wondering if you can speak to that a bit, around the importance that this work, moving forward, include in the decision-making process those who are on the water, so that the steps forward are applicable and actually helpful on the water.

[Jim McIsaac]

Yes, that's a great question. Thank you for that.

Where do I start with that?

Tying and linking to harvesters is critical for all different components of the fisheries and for understanding what's going on in the water, understanding the science and the data that science is actually collecting, helping interpret that, and helping to ensure that the benefits of the fishery are coming through the communities.

It's something that I would say.... The whole social aspect of fisheries is one that the DFO appears to have—and has—turned a blind eye to over the last 150 years. It doesn't seem to be of interest to the department. What the department is doing with foreign beneficial ownership of our fishery is an example of that, but what it's doing with first nations and what it did in the Marshall decision by handing over licences without kind of thinking about who's going to benefit from them and about how they can actually be used to make sure they are being used in the way that's intended....

The DFO sets the frame for all of that stuff, yet it doesn't pay attention to the real, important matters of that. It's just kind of like the issue about setting a table for collaboration. The DFO can set that table so that people can come together and help decide what's best to do with the fishery, but it's not. It's not doing that. It's not setting a table that is open for those kinds of collaborative solutions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you, Ms. Barron. You're a bit over.

That concludes our committee meeting for today, I guess.

I want to say a big thank you to Mr. Sproul and Mr. McIsaac for sharing their valuable knowledge with the committee today as we work our way through this particular study.

On Thursday, we will resume the study with the appearance of witnesses. I will let the committee know that I won't be here on Thursday. I'll be out of town, and Mr. Arnold will be asked to chair, so there's a chance that we can maybe get back at some people somehow.

[Ken Hardie, Liberal, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Oh, no!

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

It's an inexcusable absence of the chair.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Again, thank you to everyone: our analysts, our clerks, our translation team, and everybody who made the meeting possible and such a success today.

Thank you, everyone, and enjoy the rest of your day.