Fisheries Committee on Dec. 4th, 2025

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

As acting deputy minister, where does your role, or where does your predecessor's role, fit into that?

[Kaili Levesque]

[Inaudible—Editor] is responsible as the ultimate financial officer for the department. There's the chief financial officer, and then the chief accounting officer role, which is occupied by the deputy minister of every department—that's not unique to DFO—but also in terms of working to make sure that the department's proposals are aligned in advising the minister—signing off on a policy note, for example, or a memorandum going across.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

How long have you been in this role?

[Kaili Levesque]

My predecessor retired two weeks ago, and I'm here in an interim capacity, but I have been the associate deputy minister at Fisheries and Oceans since October 21, 2024.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

You have some history there.

[Kaili Levesque]

Yes, indeed.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Thank you.

That'll lead to this question. We never get enough time to ask the ministers, so I have to ask you now.

DFO has already allocated over $901 million for grants and contributions in this fiscal period, and the supplementary estimates (B) seek another $140 million for grants and contributions, for a total of just over $1 billion. Do you have specific details on why this increase was necessary?

[Kaili Levesque]

Those specific increases in grants and contributions are to advance the negotiation and implementation of fisheries reconciliation agreements in British Columbia. They're all under negotiation at this point, so I can't speak about specific nations, but they are for the advancement therein.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Has your office already identified the recipients of the proposed grants and contributions?

[Kaili Levesque]

The grants and contributions funding is provided after the process to establish a fisheries reconciliation agreement, which is done through cabinet authorities. It's not exclusively a deputy minister level of authority or a ministerial one.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Have those recipients been assigned or allocated at this point?

[Kaili Levesque]

We receive authorities before we engage in those types of discussions to not commit the Crown to any negotiations to which we are not party. Ultimately, before finalization of any agreements, we do have to confirm those. That's where these grants and contributions would advance.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Can you describe how the amount of $140 million proposed in the supplementary estimates (B) was determined?

[Kaili Levesque]

It is determined through the existing negotiation tables that are in place with each of these fisheries reconciliation agreements for a variety of eligible activities under the reconciliation agreements framework, which then will be formed into publicly disclosed fisheries reconciliation agreements, as with others.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Thank you. Let's switch topics now.

For the past decade, this Liberal government and every one of the minister's predecessors have recognized the threats of aquatic invasive species in British Columbia. Specifically, I have pleaded for B.C. just to get an allocated fair share of the federal resources for fighting AIS in Canada.

On November 27, the Okanagan Basin Water Board sent a letter expressing growing concern over critical infrastructure costs. When will this department finally fulfill the mandate and the commitment to biodiversity that are required on the risks that aquatic invasive species pose in British Columbia?

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

I hate to jump in again, but we are over time.

It's an important question. Deputy Minister, if you could respond in writing to that question, it would be much appreciated.

[Kaili Levesque]

I'd be pleased to do that, sir.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Next, we're going to go to Mr. Klassen for five minutes.

[Ernie Klassen, Liberal, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Thank you, Chair, and thanks to all our witnesses here for attending.

I was very happy to hear the minister say that any unauthorized fishing is illegal and that we fully support enforcement.

Mr. Lambertucci, I have a question.

We hear so much about illegal fishing on the east coast. I was wondering if you could talk a bit about enforcement in recreational fisheries, given that we saw quite an incident in British Columbia this year with the salmon fishing in Chilliwack, along the Fraser River. How does the enforcement happen with recreational fishers?

[Peter Lambertucci]

I've had the privilege of joining my officers on the west coast for some of that enforcement. The same stands—illegal is illegal and unauthorized is unauthorized. We do that enforcement through a very graduated approach that's intelligence-supported in how we deploy to the core problematic areas. We surge our resources to those problematic areas.

There are a number of enforcement tools that we utilize on the Pacific side, including helicopters, boats and vehicles, often all working in tandem, one with the other. That enforcement continuum is the same on the east coast as it is on the west coast.

We have stakeholder engagement. We have education. We have ticketing. We have fines. Then we have investigations, particularly as they concern the more egregious matters, which we submit to PPSC for charge approval to move to the court process.

[Ernie Klassen, Liberal, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Thank you very much.

We have a large number of first nations groups up and down the Fraser River. What would be their relationship with enforcement with the indigenous communities on the west coast?

[Peter Lambertucci]

We do have indigenous engagement teams on both coasts, east and west, and in the Arctic regions. Those indigenous engagement teams work on various policies, building trust in the community. They work in, on and with the communities.

I could use Haida Gwaii as a great example of what that kind of collaboration looks like. We have guardians and fishery officers embedded in Haida Gwaii, working on the respective elements that protect indigenous rights and allow us also to enforce whatever could be unauthorized, both recreational and commercial, in those areas. It's a very successful program.

[Ernie Klassen, Liberal, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Thank you very much.

Ms. Levesque, the Fraser River panel that was talked about before.... I know that there was one member who resigned from that panel. I've met with a number of first nations groups, and I believe that the panel works on a consensus model.

I'm wondering if you could give us a bit of a background on how exactly that consensus model is working and how it actually functions. How is it working or not working?

[Kaili Levesque]

The panel is a very important binational mechanism that recognizes the consensus-based approach both to trying to understand the flows, predicting the runs as they arrive in preseason and in season, and also around the management measures therein.

The panel has senior representation. We have two commissioners who are from the DFO, but it is a mix of experts from outside, as well as our two representatives. It is a crucial forum for the discussion and management of these. However, it is on a consensus basis, and we could not advance this work without the incredible contributions of those who give their time to this commission.

[Ernie Klassen, Liberal, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Thank you very much.

The salmon have been a point of controversy on the west coast, obviously, and we also have to deal with conservation issues. A large amount of what we hear is around the southern resident killer whales.

I'm wondering if you could talk a bit about the impact of the harvest of the salmon fisheries and what is being done to protect the southern resident killer whales.