Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Brandon—Souris for this question. I appreciated it when he raised it on Friday; I appreciated him giving me the weekend to research it. Certainly, if he does not get the answer that he wants tonight on Killarney Lake or any other project, I would invite him to meet with me personally, and we can talk more about the program.
Fishing has historically been one of the country's popular leisure activities, both for Canadians and visitors alike. Currently, countless people rely on recreational fisheries for their livelihoods, culture, and enjoyment. Every year, anglers from all around the world come to visit and participate in recreational fishing activities across Canada. The important socio-economic contributions of recreational fishing are felt in all of Canada's provinces and territories, particularly in some of the more remote areas of Canada.
The recreational fisheries conservation partnerships program, RFCPP, is a $53-million contribution program that supports recreational fisheries habitat restoration projects led by recreational fishing groups, conservation organizations, and indigenous groups to rebuild and rehabilitate recreational fish habitat.
The RFCPP was established in June 2013 to support multi-partner projects at the local level aimed at restoring recreational fisheries habitat in order to enhance the sustainability and productivity of Canada's recreational fisheries. Specifically, the program, through contribution funding, enables proponents to manage and execute projects that restore compromised or threatened recreational fisheries habitat.
These projects restore fish habitat for many different species, such as trout, chinook and coho salmon, Atlantic salmon, walleye, and perch. By restoring compromised recreational fisheries habitat, the RFCPP projects will help support more productive and sustainable fisheries and by extension, increase fishing opportunities.
During its first five successful rounds, RFCPP provided funding to a total of 618 projects that restored more than 14 million square meters and more than 6,000 kilometres of habitat. RFCPP projects leveraged almost $55 million from project partners and triggered the participation of 16,388 volunteers. My hon. friend is quite right, it was and is a very successful program.
One of the most important aspects of this program is that it brings together like-minded partners to address important conservation issues across the province and, indeed, the country. This unique approach helps us leverage our resources and expertise to achieve results that would not otherwise be possible.
The RFCPP is a unique initiative that capitalizes on the knowledge of local anglers, conservation, and indigenous groups that share our vision of a healthy aquatic ecosystem. Our government is especially committed to a nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous people, which is why the program is open to all indigenous organizations right across Canada.
At the local and community level, RFCPP proponents possess important knowledge and capacity that can be used to help improve recreational fisheries across Canada. We strongly believe that if we work together toward common goals, tangible progress can be made.
After six years, the RFCPP is due to sunset in 2019. Due to the success of the program, all the funds have already been allocated to support multi-year projects. That said, our government is committed to working with groups that share our concern about the health and well-being of fish and other species. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is presently reviewing our existing programming and remains committed to working with all stakeholders to address future concerns related to the sustainable management of fish and fish habitat.
I would again repeat my offer that I made at the start of my speech, from me personally to the member for Brandon—Souris. I would be happy to work with him on the Killarney Lake issue or any lake issue in southwestern Manitoba or otherwise.