Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to explain why Bill C-302 should not become law.
Fishermen and mariners alike know how easy it is to get lost at sea, especially in fog. Debate on this bill seems to be like sailing in a particularly thick fog. The debate has wandered all over the map and has been lost in the fog of rhetoric and politics. It has strayed far from the facts and facts are what we need when we talk about Canada's fishery. Facts are what are needed here, not emotion, not fed bashing, not rhetoric and not scoring political points. Few facts have been advanced from the other side of the House.
One important fact is that none of the opposition parties would support this bill in the unlikely event they were to form a government. Why? Because it is a bad bill that would become bad law, one that would neither preserve fish stocks nor help fishing communities.
During early debate on this bill my colleagues spelled out its many deficiencies, but today I would like to return to the issue of compensation which was raised by the hon. member for Nanaimo—Alberni when this bill was last debated.
He said that the right to compensation for those whose rights were taken away or abrogated by the federal government was probably the most controversial aspect of the bill. It would be hard to say which is the most controversial aspect of this bill but this one certainly ranks close to the top. The strangest assertion in the hon. member's qualified defence of this bill came when he said that government and DFO bureaucracy will fight this clause tooth and nail because it attempts to make them accountable for decisions they make about people affected by their decisions.
How does this clause contribute to making the government and the so-called bureaucracy more accountable than they already are? Presumably by making them pay for the so-called damage their policies have caused. But who pays here? What did the architect of the bill have in mind? Where does the member think the money would come from to compensate fishers harmed by a government decision? Not from the minister and the so-called bureaucracy, but from the taxpayer. This is from a party that prides itself on fiscal responsibilities.
The government cannot afford the luxury of throwing taxpayer money around. The government has to be responsible to all Canadians. Sometimes that requires making tough calls, the kind which do not please everyone but which hold the greatest hope for the future.
When the hon. member says that it is far easier for bureaucrats or ministers to sit ensconced, buffered and unchallenged and be securely protected from the results of their decisions, he implies several things.
First, he implies that public employees and the minister are somehow unaccountable, but the fact is the government is responsible to the people of Canada. When the people of Canada vote they pass judgment on the government's performance. If the government needs to be held accountable for mistakes every Canadian can do so at election time.
Second, he implies that instituting a regime that would hand over millions of taxpayer dollars would somehow punish those who make decisions in Ottawa. To this I can only say that it seems as if the fog has rolled in and completely obscured the hon. member's argument.
Leaving aside the strange notion that public employees should be punished for doing their jobs to the best of their abilities, this clause would punish no one but the member's constituents and those of every member in the House.
What would it accomplish other than to burden the taxpayer and take money away from other worthwhile causes? Nothing. Would it create more fish? No. Would it preserve the fish that are left? No. On the contrary, if the bill succeeded in discouraging DFO and the government from taking steps to conserve fish stocks it would do just the opposite.
I am taking time with this argument because the hon. member for Nanaimo—Alberni said it was the crux of the bill to bring accountability to the bureaucracy. The women and men of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are already accountable to their superiors who report to the minister, who is in turn accountable to the people of Canada.
Once more we can say how badly conceived and unnecessary this bill is. The member went on to say the DFO bureaucrats would prefer not to deal with people affected by their decisions because plainly it is uncomfortable for them.
Again let us look at the facts. In September the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans convened a meeting with fishermen for a mid season review of the cod stocks in the gulf of St. Lawrence. He took with him to the meeting those same DFO scientists and managers the member says would prefer not to deal with people affected by their decisions.
The member would have us think that DFO does not seek input from fishers, but my colleagues have already recounted in detail how fishers across the country are participating in fisheries management decisions that affect their industry. Fishers are actively involved in stock assessment, fish conservation and monitoring. They participate in the development of integrated fishery management plans and the setting of fishing quotas. Many fishers are already involved directly in managing fisheries through co-management or joint project management with DFO. DFO developed co-management to give the people who work in the fishery more say in how it is managed.
The new fisheries act will offer individuals and communities even more say over the decisions that affect their lives. We need to bring this debate to a speedy conclusion so this bill can come to the floor of the House and be rejected, as it should be.
There are far better ways to serve the needs of Canada's fishing communities and preserve the fishery for future generations. The government has taken a number of important steps and is moving on others. I urge the House to reject the bill.