Debates of May 28th, 2009

Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Madam Chair, I would not expect that the salmon enhancement moneys would be a loan involved in the operational costs for the overall hatcheries. I know she is looking for those figures and, as I mentioned earlier, the breakdown of the $250 million by spending category.

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, we do not have the breakdown of the $250 million for the specific region, but we can certainly get that for the member.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Madam Chair, I have a question with respect to the fish hatchery operational costs for the 14 major hatcheries and for the smaller hatcheries. Is that something the minister is coming up with there?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, those are region specific and it is very detailed information, so we would have to compile that information for the hon. member and get it to him.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Madam Chair, I thank the minister. I will expect those figures.

I would like to move on to a couple of specific fisheries.

The minister has responded to questions on this before, but I would like to come back to the allocation of halibut quota. This is a pretty fundamental issue in British Columbia and many people are concerned about it. We are aware of the commercial fishers and their concerns around any real allocation, but the recreational fishers are also concerned about the existing allocation of halibut quota.

Solutions have been put forward that basically meet a consensus from all parties, but the minister needs to pull all of the different parties together and come up with a series of recommendations that would actually allow all parties to feel that the halibut allocation is being fairly dealt with and that we are getting the maximum economic stimulus off the Pacific coast of British Columbia.

I would like to know, what are the minister's plans? The NDP has repeatedly called for a halibut summit in British Columbia to bring all of those fishers around the table under one roof and get the issue resolved. Does the minister have plans to come to British Columbia and have that halibut summit?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, actually, I do have plans to go to British Columbia and I hope to visit some of the people within the halibut industry.

Both these sectors are very important to the economy. Because there is a decrease in the overall total allowable catch, I guess both recreational and commercial harvesters will be facing that decrease this year. The recreational fishery did open on March 1 with a daily catch limit of one halibut and a possession limit of two.

We are working with the sectors. I do understand that some progress has been made and that is good to hear because we have to get that marketing mechanism in place to allow both sectors to perform to their full potential when it comes to the halibut fishery.

I am more than willing to work with both because I recognize that the recreational fishery needs some stability because it plans a whole year ahead for its businesses. I will be working with the fishery and hopefully we can find a solution.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Madam Chair, that is encouraging to hear, but we need to have some dates. It is good news if the minister is coming to British Columbia, but when will she be coming to start pulling that together?

Is it her intention to pull together that halibut summit at that time or is her next visit to British Columbia designed to prepare that next step that both the NDP critic, the member for Sackville—Eastern Shore, and I have been calling for, for some time?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, I do believe that right now I am scheduled to go to British Columbia around the first week of July. However, that could change. We will be speaking to the industry out there and we will be setting up meetings prior to my going there.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Madam Chair, am I to take it that this is the first step in what would lead to a halibut summit then on the issue of the allocation of halibut quota?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, that certainly is a possibility. We will be having some dialogue with the industry while we are out there. If that is its wish, and if it sees that as a way to finding a solution, then it is something we will pursue.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Madam Chair, I would like to move on to the issue of salmon.

My first question has to do with the total amount of moneys allocated for the Pacific region for protecting, preserving, and enhancing salmon habitat and salmon stocks. I have a number of other questions as well. I will ask the second one at the same time.

For the Pacific region, what is the number of scientific and enforcement officers out of the roughly 1,300 employees in the Pacific region? These two questions come from my colleague, the member of Parliament for Nanaimo—Cowichan.

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, I believe the number is 178 enforcement officers.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Madam Chair, that is 178 enforcement officers. How many scientific officers are there out of the number of employees?

Coming back to the first question, what is the budget allocated for protecting, preserving and enhancing salmon habitat and salmon stocks?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, most of the $26 million that goes to British Columbia on an annual basis goes directly to enhance the salmon stocks.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Madam Chair, I will come back to the two questions again. Is that the total amount of moneys? It appears that is the minister's answer. Could she could just confirm it with a yes? Also, on the number of scientific officers, does she have that figure available?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, we do not have the figure on the number of officers in the region with us tonight, but we can add that the information package the member has asked for on the Pacific region.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Madam Chair, I will move on to another couple of questions.

About 100 first nation bands depend on the food fishery up the Fraser River. I am interested in knowing how the department is working with those first nations for management of the salmon. How is the minister moving around the issue of community control of the fisheries?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, our aboriginal fishing policy in Canada is guided by supporting a healthy and prosperous aboriginal community through building and supporting strong and stable relationships with first nations, working in a way that upholds the honour of the Crown and facilitating aboriginal participation in fisheries and aquaculture, associated economic opportunities and in the management of aquatic resources.

We have the aboriginal fisheries strategy, which was launched in 1992 and has funding of $22 million a year. We have an aboriginal aquatic resource and oceans management program that provides aboriginal groups, where DFO manages the fishery, with the capacity to participate effectively in the DFO and multi-stakeholder processes, which is used for aquatic resource and oceans management.

Participation in that program is voluntary, but aboriginal groups are signatories of 35 contribution agreements, covering an estimated 200 aboriginal communities from that fund.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Madam Chair, how is the minister and the ministry implementing the decision that was made on February 9 regarding the Fisheries Act and aquaculture?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, we are working with the province of B.C. to establish the way forward. The courts allowed for a one-year transition phase from the provincial government to the federal government. However, no matter who is responsible or who manages the aquaculture industry, we have to be sure that it is sustainable, so that is what we are doing.

I want to add that we did find the answer for the science personnel in the Pacific region and it is 456.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Madam Chair, my last question is with respect to the $14 million allocated annually for aquaculture. How is this money allocated?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, this is for the habitat and science to ensure we have healthy stocks.

[Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Madam Chair, I will be splitting half of my time with the excellent member for Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte.

I thank the minister for being here. Three search and rescue needs analysis by DFO recommended clearly that Victoria must have a permanent search and rescue vessel. That does not exist. There is 47 footer in Saanich. Will the minister authorize that 47 footer to be in Victoria so Victoria has a permanent SAR capability?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Madam Chair, with our Coast Guard vessels, we have a vast territory to cover and we cannot be everywhere. However, we are quite happy that we are acquiring a number of new vessels through our economic action plan.

I will take the hon. member's concerns into consideration.

[Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Madam Chair, this is a matter of life and death. Three search and rescue needs analyses from her department have recommended that this occur. I want to impress upon her that this must happen. Victoria has the second busiest straits in the world around it and it is a matter of life and death.

How many fisheries officers are doing enforcement in South Vancouver Island?