Fisheries Committee on June 3rd, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I call this meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 41 of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

I want to start by acknowledging that we are gathered on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108 and the motion adopted on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, the committee is meeting to begin its study on the publication of a report on four wind energy areas in the offshore of Nova Scotia.

This meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the Standing Orders. Pursuant to routine motions, I would like to advise committee members that all virtual witnesses today have successfully completed their testing.

I would like to remind participants of the following points.

Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. For those on video conference, please click on the microphone icon to ensure you are able to get interpretation. Unmute yourself when you are not speaking. At the bottom of your screen, you will see a globe-looking icon. It will tell you the appropriate channel for interpretation: floor, English or French.

I want to remind witnesses that committee members will ask you questions in French or English. If you need interpretation, I'd ask you to put on your earpieces right now. All comments should be made through the chair.

Members, if you wish to speak in the room, put up your hands. The clerk and I will try to manipulate what we think is the right order of things. I want to remove the word “manipulate”.

I would now like to welcome our witnesses.

From the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, we have Bernard Vigneault, director general, ecosystem science directorate; Wendy Williams, regional director, aquatic ecosystems, Maritimes region, by video conference; and Luke Gaulton, director, oceans and aquaculture management, Maritimes region, also by video conference.

I will start with the five-minute opening statement by whichever one of you is doing it, please. I will give you a one-minute and then 30-second literal shout-out, so you know your time is up and can adjust your speaking notes accordingly.

Mr. Vigneault, if you are speaking, you have five minutes, please.

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

Yes, I am. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Good afternoon, Chair, vice-chairs and members.

First, I wish to acknowledge that I am speaking with you on the unceded Anishinabe Algonquin territory. The people of the Anishinabe Algonquin nation have lived on this territory for millennia. Their culture and presence have nurtured and continue to nurture this land. I express my honour for the people and the land of the Anishinabe Algonquin nation. I also express my honour for all first nations, Inuit and Métis people and their valuable past and present contributions to this land.

My name is Bernard Vigneault. I'm the director general of ecosystem science at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. My colleagues and I appreciate the opportunity to appear before this committee on behalf of the department.

I'm accompanied today by Ms. Wendy Williams, regional director of aquatic ecosystems, Maritimes region, at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. In addition to marine planning and conservation, she's also responsible for the fish and fish habitat protection program and the species at risk management division.

Mr. Luke Gaulton is director of oceans and aquaculture management, Maritimes region, at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He's also responsible for marine planning and conservation in the Maritimes region.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is responsible for managing Canada's fisheries, protecting aquatic ecosystems and ensuring the sustainable use of marine resources. We publish scientific information, research results and conclusions in support of open science.

On December 18, 2025, DFO published a Canadian manuscript report of fisheries and aquatic sciences entitled “Four Wind Energy Areas (WEA) in the Offshore of Nova Scotia: A Description of the Primary Marine Ecosystem Features, Significant and Protected Areas, At-risk and Depleted Species, Fish and Fisheries, Science Surveys, and Other Human Uses that May Occur In and Around the French Bank, Middle Bank, Sable Island Bank, and Sydney Bight Areas”.

The report was published in support of the Canada-Nova Scotia offshore energy regulator's call for information, which closed on January 13, 2026.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Excuse me, Mr. Vigneault, but we're not getting interpretation. If you could just hold on for a second, I will stop the clock so we don't take your time.

Is everyone hearing the interpreter?

[Voices]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

We'll give you an extra minute. Go ahead.

[Bernard Vigneault]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

The report was published in support of the Canada-Nova Scotia offshore energy regulator's call for information, which closed on January 13, 2026. The call for information invited indigenous groups and rights holders, the fishing sector, industry, government, the public and other stakeholders to provide feedback on a variety of topics, including the wind energy areas being considered and the location of potential parcels within these wind energy areas.

The Fisheries and Oceans report provides a high-level description of the marine ecosystem and human uses that may occur in or near each of the four designated wind energy areas on Nova Scotia's offshore. The report draws from Fisheries and Oceans published literature, data holdings, such as fishery landings and species detection data, and mapping products.

The report describes primary marine ecosystem features, significant and protected areas, at-risk and depleted species, fish and fisheries, science surveys, and other human uses to inform regulatory decision-makers, industry and members of the public.

The report does not assess the wind energy area sites for offshore wind energy suitability, nor does it evaluate the risk that offshore wind energy development poses to the marine ecosystem, marine species or human uses in each area. It may inform the scope of future risk assessments, but additional detail and analyses would be needed to inform project-specific assessments.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is committed to sustainably managing Canada's fisheries and oceans for the long-term benefit of all Canadians, while also providing advice and information about new opportunities within Canada's ocean economy. We recognize the essential role that science information and advice play in achieving these goals.

Thank you for your attention. We are ready to answer your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you very much, Mr. Vigneault.

We will now go to the question and answer session, which will start with six minutes. The six minutes, as you well know, include both the question and the answer.

I will begin with the Conservatives.

Mr. Small, you have six minutes, please.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Welcome, Mr. Vigneault and officials, to this meeting.

Mr. Vigneault, how many groundfish migrated through—

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Excuse me. Could you open your camera, please?

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

I'm sorry.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

We'd love to see you.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Yes, I know. Thank you, Chair.

Mr. Vigneault, how many groundfish migrated annually through the Scotian shelf and were harvested in the Scotian shelf before the collapse of the 1990s? Do you have that figure?

[Bernard Vigneault]

I don't have that figure. I can tell you that the report was a snapshot in time and, as I think you're alluding to, didn't include the period prior to the last 10 years. That's acknowledging the methodology of the report.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Absolutely. In fact, the historical significance of the areas in which offshore wind is being planned on the banks off the eastern shore and off Cape Breton was not addressed in the documents.

Do you think, with the development of offshore wind on those banks, that there's ever the possibility of a recovery of the groundfish fishery, as has happened with the northern cod in Newfoundland and Labrador?

[Bernard Vigneault]

It is a possibility—

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, I have a point of order.

The production order that was moved and adopted by this committee was very specific. It related to the report that was done. This committee has a lot of important work to do. We agreed to review this for two hours.

This is not relevant. We should stick to the subject matter that was adopted by the committee, which was the production of this report.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you. That is a point of order.

Mr. Arnold.

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

Counter to Mr. Morrissey's argument, I believe the points Mr. Small is making are very relevant as to what is in the report, what's missing from the report and what should have been in the report. I think they're very relevant, Madam Chair.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, I disagree with Mr. Arnold. The motion that was adopted by this committee was specific. It was a production order for the report. In fact, the motion put forward by Mr. Small asking for this.... This report has been public online since the fall of 2025.

I would ask for clarification, Madam Chair, on the current subject before the committee and the relevancy of the questioning that is occurring.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Well, before I rule on whether that is a point of order or not, or on whether Mr. Small's questions are within the scope of the report, Mr. Arnold, would you like to say why you think his questions are focused on the scope of the report?

If I may remind everyone, the motion said that members of the committee should focus on the scope of the meeting, which would be the report.

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

The scope of the meeting would be the report. I think it's very relevant that we point out what was missing in the report and what work had not been done by the department in providing a report that the government would potentially be making recommendations or decisions on.

If there are shortcomings in what has been included in the report, that's very relevant to the report itself because it is lacking. That is why I consider this very relevant.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Morrissey, Mr. Arnold is making the point that this is in fact relevant because focusing on the report focuses on not only what's there but also what isn't there.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, it is your call, but the motion was clear. It was a production order related to the report and was specific to the report. Getting into what may or may not be there is, quite frankly, a whole different debate, which should have been encompassed in a motion identifying that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Deschênes.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

When we study a report, I think we obviously have to cover the entity that commissioned it, the context of the report and everything that's included and excluded. I think it's entirely natural to ask questions about things that aren't in the report so as to fully understand the government's approach.