Debates of Nov. 24th, 2020

Fisheries and Oceans—Main Estimates, 2020-21

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Madam Chair, I want to thank my hon. colleague for her intervention.

We have seen wonderful investments in the fisheries in the past two years through the Atlantic fisheries fund, the Quebec fisheries fund and the B.C. SRIF fund, making sure that harvesters have what they need through the fish harvester benefit and grant program and through the Canadian seafood stabilization fund. All of this was equitably distributed across all of our coastal regions, making sure that the fisheries were absolutely looked after throughout the area.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Chair, that amount is not nearly enough. We do not consider it to be Quebec's fair share.

Can the minister tell us which province most of her department's employees are in?

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Madam Chair, when we were doing the COVID relief benefit programs, we looked at making sure that all of the areas that had been impacted, and all of the harvesters that had been impacted, would benefit from the programs. We saw that right across the country.

We are continuing to work with our provincial counterparts to make sure that we address the concerns we hear from the fishery in her area and all areas, and we will continue to do that.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Chair, since the minister cannot tell us in which province most of her employees are located, could she tell us which province receives the most money in transfer payments from her department?

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Madam Chair, I am sorry, my Internet cut out for a second. Could the member please repeat the question?

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Chair, I was asking the following: If the minister cannot tell us in which province most of her employees are located, could she tell us which province receives the most money in transfer payments from her department?

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Madam Chair, we look at a number of issues when we are looking at making sure that we are addressing concerns in provinces right across the fishery. During COVID-19, when we instituted the fish harvester benefit and grant program, I met regularly with all of my provincial counterparts in Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec, making sure that their concerns were addressed. I will continue to do that. It is important that we invest in the fisheries in all areas where it has impacts.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Chair, I agree with the minister that it is important to respond to COVID-19, but of course the department must continue with its day-to-day operations.

In that case, if she cannot tell me which province saw the largest staff losses or which province is receiving the most money in transfer payments, I would like her to explain to me, if she still maintains that this is fair, why in 2019 British Columbia received $75.94 million from her department while Quebec received only $12.8 million.

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Madam Chair, when we look at investments in fisheries, we look at a number of different things. It was extremely important to us to make sure that Quebec, as well as British Columbia, received funds that they needed, just like Atlantic Canada did with the Atlantic fisheries fund. That is why we instituted the Quebec fisheries fund: to make sure that fishers were able to access funding to grow their businesses and invest in technology. Those are all things that we are continuing to do. We will work with the provinces to make sure that we address the concerns they have, and we are doing that on a regular basis.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Chair, it is important to us because the money that is being invested and the efforts that are being made obviously help ensure the development and, in some cases, the survival of this industry and communities in my riding.

Speaking of fairness, if we look at the numbers for the same year, 2019, we see that Quebec received only $1.52 per capita in transfer payments, while Manitoba received almost double that amount at $2.70 per capita.

How does the minister explain that situation given that there does not seem to be a lot of lobster in that province?

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Madam Chair, we are making sure that we are supporting coastal communities right across the country. We are supporting fisheries right across the country, even our inland fisheries. They are extremely important to a number of communities inland as well. We are going to continue to do that.

Making sure that coastal communities are well looked after is extremely important, as is making sure that they have the investments they need to grow their fishery, that they can maintain their fishery and that it is sustainable for years to come. We are investing in science and technology to make sure that those coastal communities continue to have the fishery for the future.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Chair, I can assure you that the communities of Quebec do not feel well looked after. That is not really the case compared to other provinces, and the numbers prove it. I am not even talking about Manitoba and British Columbia. One need only compare Quebec to eastern Canada.

Quebec receives 10 times less funding per capita than Newfoundland and Labrador, which receives $24.55 per capita. Prince Edward Island receives $23.41 per capita, while Nova Scotia receives $19.36 per capita and New Brunswick receives $27.87 per capita.

How does the minister explain that?

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Madam Chair, when we look at what is required in coastal communities, we look at a number of different factors. It is important to make sure that we are addressing the concerns of coastal communities. That is why we are making these investments through the Quebec fishery fund, which is a contribution program that is funded jointly by the Government of Canada and the Province of Quebec. We are investing nearly $42.8 million over five years to support Quebec's fish and seafood sector.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Chair, of course supporting the sector does not mean developing it. The objectives that could be met with the necessary funding are not being met, as I said earlier in my speech. It takes investments if we want communities to do more than just survive. I could talk more about this later with the minister.

I would like her to think about all the numbers I gave her and the reality in Quebec. We have thousands of kilometres of shoreline in the north, in the estuary and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

By comparison with the Atlantic, or the Maritimes region, to which people often try to associate us, even though we are not part of that region or even the Pacific region, does the minister believe that Quebec is underfunded by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans?

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Madam Chair, the Quebec fisheries fund is stimulating innovation in Quebec's fish and seafood sector. It supports development, it enables the sector to rely on three pillars for development, it relies on innovation and it encourages development of new products. The infrastructure encourages the use of new technologies, and there are science partnerships that enable the creation of partnerships that improve knowledge and impacts.

We are investing significantly in Quebec through the Quebec fisheries fund in order to make sure that those coastal communities survive, thrive and are there for sustainability for years to come. We are going to continue to work with the Province of Quebec to make sure that we are delivering for those coastal communities.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, with COVID-19 and the support for the fishers, can the minister clarify how many fishers and fish harvesters applied for the fish harvesters benefit and grant program? Is she willing to further extend the application process for those fishers who could not apply because they were out on the water fishing?

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Madam Chair, the fish harvester benefit and grant program was one of the only industry-specific programs that was made available.

We recognized how challenging it was for fish harvesters. Because of the way their enterprises were set up, they were unable to qualify for a number of the other government programs that were there. That is why we developed this program. This was close to a half-billion-dollar program to make sure that harvesters could get through this very difficult—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, will the minister extend the application to the program?

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Madam Chair, the program was extended a number of times to make sure that we caught as many people as we could during the height of the pandemic and to make sure that people were able to apply.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, will the minister commit to increasing the transparency of quota licence ownership by creating a public online database of licence holdings in B.C.?

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Madam Chair, with regard to the fisheries committee that actually did the study on the west coast fishery, we are making sure that we are working with British Columbia to identify the priority fisheries management and licencing concerns. This is ongoing work. We are doing it—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, in that same report, it was identified that fish in Canadian waters are a resource for Canadians and that no future sales of fishing quota licences to non-Canadians should happen.

Could the minister outline what steps she is taking to stop foreign ownership of the quota in B.C.?

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Madam Chair, we are continuing to work on a west coast licensing review through Fisheries and Oceans Canada. We have contracted a comparative analysis of Atlantic and Pacific commercial fishing policies and regulations, and are initiating a review of the existing foreign ownership.

There is a lot of work to be done here, but that work is ongoing and we are committed to making sure that we address these concerns.