Evidence of meeting #23 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was area.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Aaron Gunn Conservative North Island—Powell River, BC
Yes. I feel like they've said publicly why they opposed it.
Operations Manager, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, As an Individual
The Lax Kw'alaams nation is a commercial fishing nation and is concerned about the commercial fishing impacts. At the same time, the Haida Nation, the Metlakatla First Nation and the Heiltsuk nation are very strong commercial fishing nations, and they have all endorsed the plan.
Conservative
Aaron Gunn Conservative North Island—Powell River, BC
I want to clarify something that hasn't been clarified by anybody yet at this committee. The proposed area closures are intended—I'm trying to be as generous to your position as possible—to eliminate fishing activity that may be disruptive to certain ecological features that the plan and closures are purported to protect. Is that correct?
Operations Manager, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, As an Individual
That is correct.
Conservative
Aaron Gunn Conservative North Island—Powell River, BC
Do you know, in the proposed protected areas and closures, if FSC fishing is still permitted?
Operations Manager, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, As an Individual
What the plan states is that Canada has a legal obligation to first nations under section 35 and that Canada and an individual first nation will undergo an assessment of whether FSC occurs.
There are examples within the network where FSC is prohibited. There's Hoeya Sill, for example, as well as the sponge reefs in the Hecate Strait. There are examples where FSC does still occur within MPAs, like Gwaii Haanas.
Conservative
Aaron Gunn Conservative North Island—Powell River, BC
There are area closures that exist now. Obviously, as you pointed out earlier, the vast majority of these proposed closures in the northern shelf bioregion haven't come into effect yet.
Operations Manager, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, As an Individual
That is correct.
Conservative
Aaron Gunn Conservative North Island—Powell River, BC
We're mainly talking about ones that have already been put into place.
There are closures that have shut out commercial and recreational fishing but where FSC fishing is still allowed.
Operations Manager, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, As an Individual
Do you mean within the network itself, as a result of the network [Inaudible—Editor] processes?
Conservative
Aaron Gunn Conservative North Island—Powell River, BC
On the coast of B.C., I know from talking to everybody who's been involved in this process that the expectation is that, in the vast majority of cases, commercial fishing is going to be shut out and FSC fishing is still going to be allowed. My point is this: Does that not defeat the entire purpose and basically turn these into race-based closures?
Operations Manager, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, As an Individual
I would say two things. MPAs do not equal fisheries closures. They align with the conservation objective. In some cases, the proposal is that the fisheries close. In addition to that, Canada has the legal—
Conservative
Aaron Gunn Conservative North Island—Powell River, BC
The whole point of them is fisheries closures. That's the—
Operations Manager, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, As an Individual
No.
Conservative
Operations Manager, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, As an Individual
There are 15 in ocean sectors within B.C. All of those sectors have impacts on the ecosystems in the area. We assess those impacts against the conservation objectives.
This is way bigger than fisheries. As I said in my opening statement, commercial fisheries is one industry among many within the northern shelf bioregion.
Conservative
Aaron Gunn Conservative North Island—Powell River, BC
It's the main industry that's making a living on the water.
Operations Manager, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, As an Individual
Marine transportation, marine tourism and marine aquaculture are all, by GDP, much larger in B.C.
Conservative
Aaron Gunn Conservative North Island—Powell River, BC
Let's move on from that point.
You mentioned that you received $200 million from the federal government, but that was only part of your funding. Where did the other funding come from?
Operations Manager, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, As an Individual
There was $60 million from the Province of B.C., and then I believe there was something like an additional $45 million from philanthropic organizations.
Conservative
Operations Manager, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, As an Individual
I can't. I can provide you with contacts within Coast Funds. They manage the trust. It is modelled after the Great Bear Rainforest trust, which has created hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs within the Great Bear Sea and Great Bear Rainforest.
Conservative
Aaron Gunn Conservative North Island—Powell River, BC
You mentioned 17 first nations that signed up to support the plan. Were they given any capacity funding to be part of it?
Operations Manager, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, As an Individual
I believe they all had grants and contributions agreements with DFO. Beyond that, I can't say. That's not my role.
Conservative
Aaron Gunn Conservative North Island—Powell River, BC
Do you think it's problematic for groups to basically be paid by the federal government to support a plan being put forward by the federal government?