House of Commons Hansard #63 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was chair.
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Gail Shea Conservative Egmont, PE
Madam Chair, I do not have that level of detail with me this evening, but I did say to the last questioner that there were 176 conservation protection officers on the job in British Columbia.
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Madam Chair, I hope we will receive that specific answer soon.
Our fish hatcheries are starved for cash. They are essential for our fisheries. Will the minister tell us what increases she will give to our fish hatcheries on Vancouver Island?
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Gail Shea Conservative Egmont, PE
Madam Chair, our economic action plan allowed for upgrades of several hatcheries in the British Columbia area. We will be spending $8 million to upgrade hatcheries. On an annual basis, we provide $26 million for a salmon enhancement program in British Columbia.
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Madam Chair, will any of those moneys go to the Goldstream Hatchery?
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Gail Shea Conservative Egmont, PE
Madam Chair, I do not have a list of the specific hatcheries with me tonight, but 33 hatcheries will see upgrades.
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Madam Chair, the west coast halibut recreational fishery is in disarray. Will the minister allow for a west coast-South Vancouver Island recreational halibut fishery from February to December?
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Gail Shea Conservative Egmont, PE
Madam Chair, we fish recreational halibut and commercial halibut against a set quota. We do that by consultation with the industry.
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Madam Chair, the early closures are causing a serious problem for South Vancouver Island. Will she at least be able to provide recreational halibut fishers with a 1.5 million pound floor on the west coast of Canada?
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Gail Shea Conservative Egmont, PE
Madam Chair, as I said to the earlier questioner, the reason why we are having this problem is because there is an overall reduction in the total allowable catch. Both groups, the commercial and the recreational, are taking a 15% reduction. The quota has been set at 88/12, and we are sticking with that quota. We are working with both sectors to try to come to some sort of solution so they can both realize their full potentials through the fishery.
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Madam Chair, is it not true that Canada took a greater decrease in the total allowable catch than the United States in the west coast halibut fishery?
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Gail Shea Conservative Egmont, PE
Madam Chair, the quota is set through negotiations and I believe both countries have the same quota.
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Madam Chair, will the minister make a commitment right now to stop the damaging practice of short notice, late season openings and early season closures, which is so damaging to the recreational fisheries on the west coast?
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Gail Shea Conservative Egmont, PE
Madam Chair, I know our staff is working with the recreational sector in British Columbia to discuss what the best possible opening date is to benefit its businesses. They have tourists who come in to take advantage of the halibut fishery. We do work with the recreational sector to set those dates.
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Madam Chair, will the minister affirm to the House that Canada's fisheries are a common property right belonging to all the peoples of Canada?
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Madam Chair, there is currently a proposal for mega marina in Victoria. The studies that have been done on the impact on fisheries shows it has been absolutely appalling. This will be an environmental disaster.
Will the minister assure the House that studies will be done and released publicly, which are adequate and essential on this project?
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Gail Shea Conservative Egmont, PE
Madam Chair, I would expect that any such project would be subject to all the environmental impact assessments that would be required.
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Madam Chair, will the minister authorize a halibut tag system, the moneys of which can be used to buy up commercial space within the halibut fishery on the west coast?
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Gail Shea Conservative Egmont, PE
Madam Chair, I believe this is one issue on which we have had some discussion with the recreational sector, trying to find a solution on how to best share the resource between the commercial and the recreational fisheries in B.C.
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Madam Chair, in these very difficult times, why will the minister not rescind the licence and monitoring fees that fishermen must pay the government, fees that they definitely cannot afford to pay right now? Why will the minister not rescind those fees?
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Egmont P.E.I.
Conservative
Gail Shea ConservativeMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Madam Chair, I know fishermen are having a very difficult time. The licence fees is an issue that was brought to my attention shortly after I took this post. I have committed to doing a licence fee review. How fast we can get that completed, I could not say, but we are committed to reviewing the licence fees.
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Madam Chair, could we have a review then? If we cannot have a review right away of licence fees, which is so badly needed, could the minister inform this committee exactly how much money was paid back to the public treasury when public funds entrusted to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans were used to prepare and to distribute a political press release as if it were an official document of the Government of Canada, including preparation fees, distribution fees as well? How much money had to be paid back?
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Gail Shea Conservative Egmont, PE
Madam Chair, no public funds were used to distribute that material.
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Madam Chair, I beg to differ because at the bottom of the press release a government official was used as the contact for that partisan press release. Obviously government resources were indeed used for that.
Since we cannot get an answer on that, I will ask a question out of empathy that maybe the minister can answer.
If a fisherman breaks his back or is diagnosed with cancer, the minister has ruled that no one else can be temporarily designated to operate his vessel and fish these licences while he recovers. The only two options available to him at that point in time, when recovering from a temporary illness, are bankruptcy or sale and get out of the fishery.
Why did the minister make that policy decision?
Fisheries and Oceans--Main Estimates, 2009-10Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Gail Shea Conservative Egmont, PE
Madam Chair, it is my understanding there are special considerations for illness.