Mr. Speaker, I am glad I sought that clarification. I was somewhat confused earlier but I am no longer, essentially.
I appreciate having an opportunity to speak to Bill C-48, an act respecting marine conservation areas. I want to say at the outset that the legislation establishes and manages a system of national marine conservation areas known as NMCAs which are representative of the 29 marine areas of Canada. The 29 national marine conservation areas represent a unique biological and a unique set of oceanographic features.
These areas include fresh and salt waters. The Parks Canada systems approach has identified the 29 NMCAs within Canada's Great Lakes, internal waters which are tidal and the territorial sea as an exclusive economic zone limit, which is the 200 mile limit.
The debate through second reading stage has revealed many deficiencies in the legislation as presently proposed. We in the New Democratic Party agree there are problems with the bill. As parliamentarians it is our duty to correct errors as we see them and to act on behalf of Canadians to improve legislation. It is in that spirit that I will make a number of comments. We want to enhance the bill. We are not opposing it. We certainly approve it in principle with a great deal of enthusiasm. It is in that context that I make my comments this morning.
This is a fitting year to begin the protection of Canada's 29 representative marine areas since 1998 is the year of the oceans. As Canadians we know there are problems with our oceans which include such things as the impact of pollution in a variety of forms, the reality of overfishing, disappearing fish stocks and general fishing mismanagement. We have witnessed the devastation of coastal communities on both the east and west coasts. There are problems on the north coast and problems in the inland water system.
I say with some regret that evidence suggests the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has largely mismanaged this resource, which is indeed unfortunate. I am not enough aware of the situation to comment on how this mismanagement occurred, but based on the report of the standing committee on fisheries it is well documented that mismanagement has led to some very serious problems on all our coasts including the waters within Canada.
We also know there are problems with our Great Lakes as well as with other inland waters in terms of pollution and mismanagement. This is reflected in the recent revelations of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans in its freshwater fisheries report in particular.
Bill C-48 is a step forward in securing coastal and inland waters for future generations and in ensuring they are in a relatively pristine state for future generations. We agree that while there are deficiencies in the legislation—and I will point out some of them in a moment—this step toward marine area conservation is too important to dismiss simply for partisan purposes or rhetoric, as I am afraid to say we have heard in the previous debate.
Bill C-48 should be considered as an important step toward the next century. Our country's present day grievous mistakes and mismanagement are recognized. We can learn from them and, more important as the legislation may reflect, we can act upon them. As parliamentarians we must act on behalf of all citizens of the country to ensure this enabling legislation provides the best options for future generations and for Canadian communities in general.
We will continue to support Bill C-48 in principle. However I will make the following points which we would like to see addressed in the ongoing debate, in particular in committee, in terms of securing our support for the process throughout.
The consultation efforts so far must be explored in depth during the committee hearings. These included 3,000 mail-outs and approximately 300 responses which were received by Parks Canada. Upon perusing these responses one recognizes there are serious concerns on the cost recovery aspects of the legislation. There is a compelling need for a better definition of proposed cost recovery measures.
We recognize that access to national marine conservation areas for local communities and fishers must be maintained. This is a crucial element. We must recognize that consideration of and effective measures for ecotourism opportunities must be included in the final legislation. It is fair to say that ecotourism is one of the leading edges of the tourism sector in Canada. We feel strongly about recognizing the attractiveness of the national marine conservation areas for people interested in ecotourism. We look forward to seeing that appropriate access included in the legislation.
Better descriptions and delineation of core areas of the NMCAs regarding preservation, protection and regulation are important as is the need for a two year reporting period rather than the five years proposed. We are moving into a new area and reviewing this on a two-year basis makes more sense.
We also feel strongly that first nations rights and a better explanation and delineation of “reserves” must include full participation of all first nations people. This could perhaps follow the consultation and management design procedures used with respect to the Saguenay—St. Lawrence Marine Park. We hold it as a good template for future consultations involving these kinds of initiatives.
The issue of a joint provincial-federal management and jurisdiction group will require co-operative measures between parties and governments to ensure provincial land and resource rights are not compromised.
The effect on proposed NMCAs in the Nunavut lands ought to be considered with seriousness. We need to address the question of the use of NMCAs to include a reference to conservation methods and ecological principles. Both are fundamental in terms of our support and I suspect they are reflected in the general thrust of the legislation.
Commercial fishers must be fully involved in the designation and parks management design to ensure there is a working relationship. On both our coasts this is obviously an issue of great sensitivity, but it is something we feel can be easily managed and incorporated into either the legislation or subsequent rights.
The impact of river systems on the NMCAs will require adequate resources for marine sciences and ecosystem modelling. There is also provincial co-operation and the degree that crown lands and subsurface rights may or not impact the success of the program. We want to be sensitive about that particular interface.
As mentioned by my colleagues, the no-take zones must be clearly defined and allow for adaptation in future years. This must be written into enabling legislation which would be acceptable for future needs. Mr. Speaker, I know you yourself feel strongly about the no-take zones issue.
Regional concerns were also mentioned in the various responses. In particular west coast concerns will require different considerations and much flexibility as compared to the east coast concerns. We understand and I know my friend the secretary of state appreciates the differences between the east coast concerns and west coast concerns and the obvious differences between the two coasts when it comes to the central fisheries issues as well the conservation areas issues.
The coastal co-ordination between the different departments involved must be defined. A clear, and I emphasize clear, definition between Environment Canada's responsibilities for wildlife and ecosystems adjacent to the NMCAs, Parks Canada's authority to question and if necessary to veto Department of Fisheries and Oceans decisions in management of these areas resources and a clear delineation of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans responsibilities are all requirements we ought to consider before the legislation returns to the House.
This may sound a little negative about the DFO. Based on its past record on sensitivity in its involvement, it has not necessarily always been in a productive and positive way. This explains some of the nuances and points that I am making.
I do not think this has to be prolonged. We support the legislation. We certainly support the principle enthusiastically. We hope that with the consideration of some of the points I raised in my presentation that we can see the rapid and expeditious movement of the legislation through the House as well as through the other place.