Fisheries Committee on Oct. 9th, 2025

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you very much, Mr. Cormier.

We will conclude with you, Mr. Deschênes. You may ask a question before this part of the meeting ends.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I have not been here long, but I think my Liberal colleague is mixing things up. When I ask a question about the Quebec fisheries fund, I am not talking about small craft harbours. It is not the leader of the Bloc Québécois who will be preparing the budget, but rather my colleague’s government. I am surprised that we have not yet received confirmation of an injection of money into this fund. We will wait for confirmation from Mr. Cormier.

Madam Minister, with regard to phase 2 of the exploratory fishing permit program, do you have data from first nations fishers to determine whether it is possible to begin this second phase this year?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

What I can say to you is that I'd be really pleased to continue those conversations with you. The decision is not made. Certainly, let's continue the dialogue about this.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you, Mr. Deschênes.

That will finish our first panel.

I want to thank the minister for being here today to share priorities, as was requested by our committee.

We will continue with one more hour of questioning for the officials. We will briefly suspend as we move some people in and out.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

I call the meeting back to order.

I would like to welcome a new witness who is joining us. From the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, we have Niall O'Dea, senior assistant deputy minister for strategic policy.

We will jump right into our first round of questioning. This will be a six-minute round.

I will hand the floor over to Mr. Small.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Foreign-funded ENGOs, such as Oceana, Oceans North, Sierra Club and Ecology Action Centre, have been given an increasing number of seats at stock advisories, seats as stakeholders. They're groups that have no science budget, no investment in the fishing industry, but they are getting the ear of the Minister of Fisheries more and more. Who makes the decision to let these ENGOs come in as stakeholders when they have absolutely no skin in the game?

[Annette Gibbons]

The department deals with a lot of stakeholders. The stakeholders come to us with the work that they do that is of pertinence to the department, so they're coming to us in any event.

In terms of specific presence of different groups on advisory committees, the department definitely makes the call on who attends. There are advisory committees on fisheries, on fish decisions, where there is a fair bit of a strong sense of collaboration among the groups and an interest in having everybody there. There are others where it is a point of contention.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

I wonder if the deputy minister understands the concerns of Canadians about foreign influence in our democracy and in our economy. For these ENGOs that are foreign funded, the majority of their funding, in some cases, comes from the U.S. Why are you letting Americans fund groups to destabilize the fishing industry in Canada?

[Annette Gibbons]

Mr. Chair, the department welcomes, and is open to, the viewpoints and the expertise of lots of different groups of people in fisheries.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Lots of groups of people, including Americans—

[Annette Gibbons]

We work internationally. We have participation—

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

—and including the French.

[Annette Gibbons]

We work with international fishery organizations. We jointly manage—

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Who's funded by the U.K.?

[Annette Gibbons]

—stocks, so there's a very strong international dimension to fisheries. That is also the case in terms of perspectives on different fisheries in Canada.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Mr. Chair, I'll turn my time over to Mr. Arnold at this point.

Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Small.

Ms. Gibbons, the minister, in her testimony earlier, mentioned that the modernization of the Fisheries Act in B.C. is very important to her. What direction has she given you and your department for modernization of the act?

[Annette Gibbons]

The minister has certainly asked the department to accelerate the work on this. We have been engaged with communities for quite some time. We've done a variety of different pieces of work. For example, we did a survey on foreign ownership of fishing licences in fishing businesses on the west coast. We're now moving on, at the minister's direction, to a more detailed assessment of the impacts of possible changes on the west coast. It's looking at a more granular level in fisheries.

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

Thank you.

I wrote the minister, back in August, about the contracts that hadn't been signed for stock assessment work in British Columbia. I just received an answer, finally, on October 8. The letter I got back referred to more cost-efficient stock assessment methods. Can you provide the committee with the details on those new stock assessment methods that apparently are going to be more efficient than having someone actually walk a stream and determine how many spawners escape to the streams?

[Annette Gibbons]

I can provide further detail to the committee on that.

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

Thank you.

When does the department expect to see any substantive work on owner-operator and fleet separation, basically modernization of licensing on the Pacific coast?

[Annette Gibbons]

We are continuing those engagements with all of the players in the industry.

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

When should we expect to see anything significant out of that?

[Annette Gibbons]

I can't really provide a specific timeline. We will continue the engagement this fall, and then we will look at next steps after that.

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

One question I always ask is this: When will the department finally recognize the risk of the spread of aquatic invasive species in western Canada?

Just recently there was a mussel-fouled boat found entering British Columbia. It was only through the work of the provincial government that the vessel was stopped, partially decontaminated and then further decontaminated and quarantined in British Columbia.

The federal government has a responsibility to manage the salmon stocks that are so prevalent. Okanagan Lake has finally seen a restoration of sockeye salmon returning to that system. The effect of zebra and quagga mussels could be absolutely detrimental.

Why hasn't the department recognized the need for fair and equitable distribution of resources for aquatic invasive species?