Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for raising this issue again and for providing me the opportunity to speak to the Experimental Lakes Area and the commitment of Fisheries and Oceans Canada to freshwater science.
As I have said before, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has conducted a review of all of its activities to reduce the cost of operations and program delivery. As a result, the department will increasingly direct its valuable resources to areas that support conservation and fisheries management priorities. As a consequence, the department will cease its operations of the Experimental Lakes Area.
The department believes that universities and other non-government research facilities are better suited to conduct experimental research that requires whole lake or whole ecosystem manipulation. Indeed, many other organizations are keenly interested in the type of research that has been done at the Experimental Lakes Area. This is why departmental officials are working to transfer the facility to another operator. We look forward to transferring it so that the work can continue by another party better suited to this type of research.
While Fisheries and Oceans Canada is phasing out its program at the Experimental Lakes Area, the department continues to maintain an active freshwater science program in support of its conservation and fisheries management priorities. The department will continue to conduct freshwater research at other locations across the country.
At the department's Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg, science staff conduct research on freshwater fisheries and habitat science. Scientists are also undertaking aquaculture research in Lake Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan, under the program for aquaculture regulatory research.
In Burlington, Ontario, Fisheries and Oceans Canada also operates the Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Staff at that laboratory conduct freshwater research related to fish habitat and Asian carp and provide scientific advice to support the department's mandate.
In Sault Ste. Marie, scientists conduct work in support of sea lamprey control. As members know, invasive species, such as the sea lamprey, are one of the leading threats to aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem health.
This past summer, departmental scientists and biologists at these science institutes, as well as other institutes across Canada, were out in the field and in laboratories undertaking science research and generating valuable scientific knowledge. This knowledge will help guide regulatory decision-making and various policies.
The department will continue to invest in priority freshwater research. For example, the department is investing in research on the risks of aquatic invasive species, assessments of freshwater species at risk and the impacts of human activities on freshwater fish habitat.
The department has created the strategic program for ecosystem-based research and advice. This research fund began funding research projects across the country this past summer, including priority freshwater research.
In addition, the department has developed the aquatic climate change adaptation services program. This research program supports departmental science that examines the impacts of climate change on Canada's oceans and inland waters.
Departmental scientists will also continue to collaborate with universities, other government departments, industry partners and other science organizations to complement the department's science program. Results from these activities become part of the scientific information that supports departmental decision-making.
As members can see, the department remains a science-based department and is absolutely committed to freshwater science in support of its mandate.
The department will continue to engage in research activities that support long-term sustainability. We will continue to dedicate resources to priority science areas that directly support conservation and fisheries management.