Fisheries Committee on March 9th, 2026

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Yes.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Oh, Bobby, you're so kind. I'm going to have to bring you a pack of Jam Jams.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Are we all in agreement with the amendment to the motion?

(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

(Motion as amended agreed to)

Great. We will have an invitation go out to the minister in due course.

Mr. Arnold.

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

Mr. Chair, while we're on the topic of motions, I put a motion on notice on Friday. This committee, the entire committee, has asked the minister no fewer than three times to appear before this committee on the study on marine and coastal protections. The request initially went out, or was moved at the committee, on November 12, and went out again on February 3 and again on February 23. The committee, the entire committee, agreed to request the minister to appear.

When she appeared on February 2 to discuss sections of Bill C-15, which she could speak nothing of at the time, by the way, she said, “I make myself available to this committee when asked.” That was her quote. She also said, “I am always open to appearing at committee.”

For six months, the minister should have known that the committee requested her to appear to discuss marine and coastal protections, a study in which we've received testimony detailing how the government has steamrolled the livelihoods of Canadians who depend on marine resources. Three times now the committee has unanimously agreed to call the minister, yet the minister has not even responded.

Ministerial accountability is a well-established convention of Parliament. I hope that all members will agree that we have a responsibility to Canadians, like those who have testified in the marine and coastal protection study, to carry the concerns and grievances of Canadians to the minister.

As such, I will move the motion that I put on notice on Friday:

That the committee report to the House its deep disappointment that the Minister of Fisheries has failed to appear before the committee as requested for its study on Marine and Coastal Protections; that despite the committee’s request being transmitted on four separate occasions, the Minister has declined to make herself available prior to the completion of the study; and that the committee express its serious concern regarding the Minister's failure to respect the will of the committee and its request for her to appear.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you very much, Mr. Arnold.

As Mr. Arnold mentioned, this was put on notice on Friday. All members should have a copy of it in their inbox.

Would anybody like to speak to this motion?

Monsieur Cormier.

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Chair, look, I hope the people watching at home saw that we just passed a motion to invite the minister before March 31. We just did that. The Conservatives amended this motion so the minister is coming for two hours instead of one. We all agreed to that. They're putting a motion on the floor right now to invite the minister again, or report that to the House. The minister will come.

Since she took office—I'm not trying to defend the minister; I'm just putting the facts on the table—she has come to this committee three times already. I hope the people watching at home can look back to the Conservative years to see how many times a fisheries minister came to this committee. Compare that with all fisheries ministers and with how many times the Liberal fisheries ministers have come to this committee.

This is just some theatrical politics we're seeing right now. We want to study mackerel right now. We just passed a motion to invite the minister. We all agreed. For me, this motion by Mr. Arnold is irrelevant right now. It's totally irrelevant. I'm not sure why they're trying to do this. The minister will come. She has come many times already, as I said.

Please, can we just move on and get to the mackerel study? I'm sure my colleague Clifford Small, who talked a lot about the situation with mackerel, certainly also wants to study that, as does my colleague from the Bloc.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you, Mr. Cormier.

Mr. Arnold, I saw that you had your hand up, and then we'll have Mr. Small.

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

As Mr. Cormier just said, I hope people at home are watching so they see that he just declared the testimony we've heard from Canadians who are reliant on the fisheries and are being ignored by this fisheries minister, and the more than three requests for the minister to appear on the study of coastal and marine protections.... How dare he call that irrelevant. How dare he say that those fishermen, those recreational harvesters and all the people in those coastal communities are considered irrelevant.

The request for the minister to appear first went out in November. To think they can come in, have the minister appear on the estimates, which she is required to do regardless, and supplant a motion passed by all members of this committee for her to appear on the marine and coastal protections study.... For him to say that this is irrelevant is an absolute insult, not just to the members at this committee but to people across this country. For the fishermen and the communities that rely on those fishermen to be called irrelevant is an absolute insult.

I move that we pass this motion today saying that the minister has failed to appear and that it be reported to the House.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you, Mr. Arnold.

Next I have Mr. Small, who'd like to speak to this.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm just responding to Mr. Cormier's remarks when he said that the minister didn't appear very much at this committee prior to 2015. I think Mr. Cormier, since he comes from a fishing riding, understands and recognizes where the fisheries went from 2015 until now.

With a moratorium on mackerel, the decisions that have been made, the increase in protection areas and all of the concerns the fishing industry has accumulated, it's more important than ever to have the minister come to this committee and answer for what's happened during the last 11 years. Prior to the last 11 years, fishermen, processors and those who work in processing were much happier with the way the fishery was run, and they just want to go back to that. They'd like to hear from the minister, and we'll continue to press for the minister to appear here.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you very much, Mr. Small.

I'm not seeing anybody else with their hand up.

Mr. Klassen.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I beg to differ with Mr. Arnold. I don't believe my colleague Mr. Cormier said that what fishermen were saying was irrelevant. That's a bit of a stretch from what he was saying.

Furthermore, the minister has been informed of what is going on at this committee. I do consult, as the parliamentary secretary, with the minister.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you, Mr. Klassen.

With that, let's move to a vote on this.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 5; nays 4 [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

The motion is agreed to. We'll transmit that to the House in due course.

There are a couple of things related to this motion that we need to quickly discuss before moving on.

[The Clerk]

These are the usual motions for when FOPO reports to the House.

The first one would be that the chair, clerk and analysts be authorized to make grammatical and editorial changes as may be necessary.

Unless members want to add a supplementary opinion to that, the only other motion would be that the chair present the report to the House.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Are there any questions on that? It's pretty straightforward stuff. Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee is meeting today—now at 11:30—to commence its study of Atlantic mackerel and Atlantic herring fisheries.

As agreed to in committee, we are starting this study with an update from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on the actions taken in response to the 28 recommendations the committee sent to the minister in February 2023.

Today’s meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the Standing Orders, and therefore, members are attending in person in the room and remotely using the Zoom application.

There is one other thing we need to dispose of before we get into the study.

Three proposed budgets were distributed to members in the last week for our new studies. Is it the will of the committee to adopt these three budgets?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

With that, I'd like to ask all in-person participants to consult the guidelines written on the cards on the table. These measures are in place to help prevent audio and feedback incidents and to protect the health and safety of all participants, including the interpreters.

I would like to make a few comments for the benefit of the witnesses and members.

Please wait until I recognize you by name before speaking. Those participating by video conference, click on the microphone icon to activate your mic. Please mute yourself when you're not speaking.

For those on Zoom, at the bottom of your screen you can select the appropriate channel for interpretation: either floor, English or French. For those in the room, you can use the earpiece and select the desired channel.

I will remind you that all comments should be addressed through the chair.

With that, I'd like to welcome our witnesses from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. I appreciate your patience.

By video conference, we have Céline Gaudet, regional director general, gulf region. In person, we have Bernard Vigneault, director general, ecosystem sciences directorate; and Todd Williams, senior director, resource management, operations. Also by video conference, we have Mario Gaudet, director, fisheries and harbour management, gulf region.

We are going to start with a five-minute opening statement from Madame Gaudet.

[Céline Gaudet, Regional Director General, Gulf Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you for this opportunity to discuss the management of Atlantic mackerel and to update the committee on actions taken by Fisheries and Oceans Canada since 2023.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge that I am joining you today from Moncton, New Brunswick, the traditional and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq people. I want to honour and respect the Mi'kmaq nation, whose deep connection to this land continues to guide our efforts toward reconciliation and meaningful collaboration.

We are here today to speak to the department’s 2022 decision to close the Atlantic mackerel commercial fishery, and to provide an update on stock status, the supporting scientific advice and our ongoing management approach, including how we have responded to the committee’s recommendations.

Atlantic mackerel is a species of long-standing economic, cultural and ecological importance throughout Atlantic Canada and Quebec. It supports livelihoods in many coastal communities and plays a key role in marine food webs as both predator and prey.

In 2022, the department took the difficult but necessary step of closing the directed commercial and bait fisheries to promote the rebuilding of the stock. This decision was not taken lightly, and I want to acknowledge the hardship faced by some harvesters who rely on mackerel for income.

Recreational fisheries and food, social and ceremonial fisheries remained open, and quotas were accorded for necessary bycatch in other fisheries, for bluefin tuna bait and for science purposes. However, the scientific advice made clear that continued removals at levels required for even a modest commercial fishery were not consistent with rebuilding and that strong action was required to give the stock the best possible opportunity to recover.

Harvester involvement remains central to our science. Following the closure, harvesters continue to support the assessment through scientific sampling across mackerel’s Canadian range, replacing samples formerly collected in the commercial fishery. Harvesters also regularly provide observations and clarifications that strengthen scientific advice.

Given the importance of mackerel as bait for other commercial fisheries, the department reopened a small, closely managed bait fishery in 2024. This approach aims to balance rebuilding objectives with the operational needs of harvesters. The department has also taken steps to inform the industry of alternative baits and avenues to explore new options, and it continues to engage with key players to explore options to access bait in other fisheries.

Despite rebuilding efforts, the 2025 scientific assessment continues to present a challenging outlook. The stock remains in the critical zone under the precautionary approach framework, and spawning stock biomass continues to be low. Recruitment remains weak, and no sustained improvement has yet been observed.

Atlantic mackerel is a transboundary stock shared with the United States. Total fishing pressure is influenced not only by Canadian decisions but also by U.S. management measures.

DFO continues to closely monitor U.S. science and related fisheries management decisions. Recent interim increases in the U.S. assessment appear driven by improvements in the southern contingent of the stock. These changes are not being observed in the northern contingent that contributes to the Canadian fishery.

In light of these differences and in recognition of observations from Canadian harvesters on the water, the department has advanced the next Canadian stock assessment from 2027 to 2026.

Small pelagic fish, such as Atlantic mackerel, are good candidates for rebuilding. The department is optimistic that this stock can rebuild with the continuation of strong management measures.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the committee’s 2023 letter, which included 28 recommendations to the minister. I am pleased to report that the department has acted on many of these recommendations, and we remain committed to ongoing improvements in science, management and engagement.

We are now pleased to answer your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you, Ms. Gaudet.

With that, we'll go to our first round of questions, the six-minute round, starting with Mr. Small.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I heard Ms. Gaudet, the regional director general for the gulf region, mention that the best opportunity for the recovery of Atlantic mackerel is keeping the commercial Canadian mackerel fishery closed.

I just reviewed the decision by the Americans to have a quota increase this year of close to 10,000 metric tons. In one part of their rationale for doing so, they mention that they could have set it 500 metric tons higher had it not been for the bait fishery in Atlantic Canada.

Mr. Vigneault, how much of the American increase in the mackerel quota is attributed to the lack of fishing in Atlantic Canada?

[Bernard Vigneault, Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans]

I would say none. The increase seen by the U.S. is mainly in the southern contingent, which is not fished in Canada. They see it from a number of measures, including a sustained increase in the eggs from their survey, which we haven't yet seen to a similar extent for the northern contingent.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

One of the 28 recommendations from the study we carried out in 2022 was that we re-establish a commercial fishery for Atlantic mackerel to match that of the United States.

It's quite clear, if you dig into and check out the rationale the Americans are using in setting their quota, that in setting their quota, they're taking into consideration the fact that we're not fishing. It's clear. I can provide to this committee the rationale the Americans are using to increase their quota.

Monsieur Vigneault, would you consider the increase in the American quota significant or insignificant for 2026?