Debates of May 30th, 2022

Department of Fisheries and Oceans—Main Estimates 2022-23

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Chair, what share of fishing licences and quotas are held by independent harvesters residing in coastal communities as opposed to large corporations or financial holdings?

What is the proportion of fishing licences and quotas?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Chair, it depends on the fishery. The proportion is not the same for each one.

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Chair, I understand that the proportion varies according to the species and the location.

I will ask another question along the same lines. What percentage of seafood landings are processed in coastal communities?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Chair, all catch landed by independent harvesters is processed in local communities.

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

There is one minute left.

The hon. member.

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Chair, I am surprised by how quickly time has passed. I will skip a few questions.

I just got back from the Magdalen Islands, where I met with people who use the port of Cap-aux-Meules.

Will the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Transport Canada come to an agreement to better meet the needs of those who use this infrastructure that is critical to economic development in the Magdalen Islands?

There is a temporary wharf that appears to be permanent and that is wholly inadequate. I have watched trawlers manoeuvring around each other as they try to dock on the wharf. It is awful watching them switch places.

Will the minister commit to visiting Cap-aux-Meules, so she can see the problem for herself and realize that it needs to be fixed quickly?

The entire economy of the Magdalen Islands is at stake.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Chair, I thank the member for her invitation. I have heard that it is a very beautiful region. I would be glad to visit, but I cannot promise when that visit will occur.

Small craft harbours are very important for fish harvesters right across eastern Canada.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Chair, it is an honour to rise today to speak and ask questions about issues that are top of mind for the coastal communities in my riding and the amazing marine life that inhabits the area as well.

Canada's oceans are home to 47 distinct populations of whales. Whales are a vital component of marine ecosystems, both for the recirculation of marine nutrients and as a bellwether for the health of marine ecosystems as a whole. They feature centrally in the cultures of many indigenous peoples and serve an important role in coastal communities through their iconic status and tourist appeal.

Many Canadian whale species face threats directly attributable to human activity, with 19 Canadian populations or species now listed under the Species at Risk Act, of which eight are assessed as endangered. Whale species in Canada, particularly those listed under the Species at Risk Act, face a complex and interrelated mix of threats from human activities that affect their survival and recovery. These threats include entanglement in fishing gear, disturbance from interaction with vessels, increased contaminants and decreased prey availability. Threats are becoming even more acute as a result of climate change and its impact on ocean ecosystems and whale distribution, and are likely to grow as globalization drives an increase in international marine activities.

Endangered whale species and their prey are being pushed into new habitats, which exposes them to vessel traffic in ecologically sensitive environments. For example, ocean warming has reduced the quality and abundance of the preferred prey in traditional North Atlantic whale habitat areas in the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine, creating a less favourable foraging environment. As a result, North Atlantic right whales shifted their late spring and summer foraging grounds to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where they face greater risk of vessel strike and entanglement in fishing gear. Warmer oceans have also contributed to reduced salmon spawning, resulting in fewer chinook salmon off the coast of British Columbia, which is the preferred prey of the southern resident killer whale. In the St. Lawrence estuary, belugas face environmental and noise-based threats in their critical habitat from marine transports and other activities.

Over the past several years, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Transport Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Parks Canada have worked together to make targeted investments to address immediate threats facing critically endangered whale species, including $167.4 million under the whales initiative announced in budget 2018. The whales initiative was the first targeted national whale fund to protect key species, and it was further supported by $61.5 million, announced later in 2018, specifically for southern resident killer whales, and additional funds found in the oceans protection plan and nature legacy initiatives.

These investments have started a shift in the way fisheries operate, with a focus on innovative tools that protect species such as the North Atlantic right whale, while also demonstrating the role of fisheries in a blue economy and Canada's leadership in sustainable seafood. The North Atlantic right whale is listed as endangered under Canada's Species At Risk Act.

Fishing gear entanglement prevention is a priority for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. We have implemented changes to the seasonal open and close dates of fisheries to avoid interactions, and a combination of temporary and season-long fishing area closures designed to ensure that gear, including lobster and snow crab gear, is removed from the water based on right whale presence. These measures are supported by a robust monitoring regime to detect the presence of whales, including flights, vessels and acoustic monitoring. Since 2020, there have been no reported North Atlantic right whale mortalities and only one new entanglement found in Canadian waters.

To further reduce the risk of entanglement, the department is working with the fishing industry and partners in Atlantic Canada and Quebec to develop whale-safe fishing gear innovations, such as systems that fish without vertical lines to prevent whales from becoming entangled in the gear, as well as other innovations that incorporate low-breaking-strength links that are designed to fish under normal conditions and yet break if a whale should become entangled.

Trials of such gear have been under way over the past few years, and the department's whale-safe gear adoption fund is providing $20 million in support to nearly three dozen projects this year. By supporting fishing industry expertise and leadership from entrepreneurs, we are finding ways to solve the entanglement problem and allow commercial fishing activities to coexist with whales in their habitat.

With respect to the iconic southern resident killer whales, the government has taken significant steps to address key threats to the population. The southern resident killer whale is considered to be at risk because of its small population size, low reproductive rate and the existence of a variety of anthropogenic threats that have the potential to prevent recovery or to further cause declines.

Principle among these anthropogenic threats are reductions in the availability of prey, with chinook salmon being the main prey item; both physical and acoustic disturbances; and environmental contamination. Actions on many of these recovery measures identified in the resident killer whale recovery strategy are under way. I have actually had a chance to see some of the science and the work being done at the Pacific Science Enterprise Centre. On April 29 of this year, the Government of Canada announced enhanced measures for 2022, for the fourth year in a row, to stop the decline of the species through management measures to the protection of salmon and minimization of disturbances from vessels.

Regarding the St. Lawrence Estuary beluga, research efforts have advanced the government's understanding of threats to this population, leading to additional protection measures such as habitat closure, slow-down zones for vessel traffic and restrictions on approach distances for this important population. Key investments to date in research, monitoring and data collection continue to enhance the Government of Canada's understanding of the north Atlantic right whale, southern resident killer whale and St. Lawrence Estuary beluga distribution, their foraging habitats and prey availability.

Our government also continues to build the marine mammal response program, which aims to assist marine mammals and sea turtles in distress. In collaboration with conservation groups and non-governmental organizations, the department supports marine mammal incident response networks in all regions under the umbrella of the marine mammal response program. We have made substantial investments in our marine mammal response program over the past several years to support a safe and timely response to marine mammals in distress, such as entangled whales, and to conduct a necropsy.

Our investments in the marine mammal response program include $4.5 million in contributions to build capacity for safe and effective marine mammal response across Canada. In a given year, there can be close to 1,600 reported incidents involving over 2,000 animals, and many of these incidents involve species at risk.

Fisheries management will continue to evolve and adapt to protect and conserve whale and marine mammal populations. At present, some of the measures we have in place also provide benefits to other species in the same area. For example, area closures to fisheries to protect right whales also protect other whale species.

Our world-class adaptive management measures, which incorporate the best available science, are developed through close collaboration between our department, the fishing industry, indigenous communities and leading scientists to protect and rebuild endangered whale populations while upholding Canada's reputation for sustainably sourced seafood.

I have mentioned that whales are an integral part of our marine ecosystems. I know that the well-being of the endangered southern resident killer whale population is a great concern to Canadians and its protection, and that our government has taken concrete action to protect this iconic species. Can the minister please speak to some of these measures that we have adopted to monitor the movements of southern resident killer whales?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Chair, I really appreciate the member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country's deep interest in the health and abundance of the Salish Sea, the plight of wild Pacific salmon and the southern resident killer whales, which are, of course, an iconic part of our ecosystem.

We have certainly taken significant steps to address threats to the population through the ocean protection plan and the whales initiative, as the member spoke about. For the fourth year in a row, our government has implemented enhanced measures to stop the decline of the species. There has been a great deal of work done with indigenous groups and stakeholders to inform the development and enhancement of protection measures.

I mean, we would love to see the numbers of these creatures grow, but they are not. The numbers of the southern resident killer whale are slightly down. To build on past efforts, I had an unfortunate opportunity, in a way, as there were new fishery closures for the recreational fishery that needed to be put into place to protect key foraging areas of the southern resident killer whales. With continued measures under the ocean protection plan, I am optimistic that we can stop the decline and start to see a return of higher numbers of these whales.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Chair, we recognize that protecting and sustaining aquatic species at risk is critically important to ecosystem health and thriving fisheries. I am hopeful that our efforts over the past few years to protect the endangered southern resident killer whales from fishing gear entanglements and collisions with vessels will help the population grow and rebuild.

It is clear that sensible protection measures are necessary and that we must work in collaboration with other governmental departments, industry, NGOs, academia, indigenous communities and our U.S. counterparts to ensure that these whales have the best possible chance to recover.

Could the minister please explain what measures are in effect this year?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Chair, there is a great range of measures. Not that many years ago, pleasure craft could come right up to observe killer whales in their habitat as they were foraging, feeding or just conducting their daily life activities. That was very interruptive of their feeding. We have increased the measures to keep pleasure craft and whale-watching craft a distance from the southern resident killer whales. There has been a slowdown of vessels when whales are detected in an area. There is surveillance happening so that we know when there is a pod coming through.

There is also hatchery chinook production that is intended to provide more food, because chinook are the key food for the species. The southern resident killer whales face many challenges, and they are not all of human origin. The transient killer whales from the north that overlap in habitat with the southern resident killer whales are becoming successful in taking over the northern part of the southern resident killer whale range.

We are also working with scientists from California, Oregon and Washington, through the international killer whale collective, to get the best possible understanding of the measures that we need to take, which we will continue taking to do our very best to protect these whales.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the minister for her detailed response.

I would like to shift gears a little and ask about a different matter. In 2015, folks in and around the lower mainland were horrified to see the impacts of the Marathassa bunker oil spill that occurred in English Bay. In fact, we did not find out about this spill until almost 24 hours after it happened.

Unfortunately, the shipping company that was responsible for this spill was never held accountable because of the environmental laws as written in the Environmental Protection Act. One of the main reasons we did not find the spill for almost 24 hours was that the Kitsilano Coast Guard station was shut down.

I was hoping the minister could please explain to us the importance of reopening this Coast Guard base as a mechanism to keep our ocean communities safe from such a spill ever happening again.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Chair, indeed, the Kitsilano Coast Guard base had been shut down in a short-sighted budget-cutting measure by the previous government, much to the concern of British Columbians. Vancouver is the busiest port in Canada, and the number of recreational boaters is enormous. In my constituency alone, the Jericho Sailing Centre has 2,000 people who use non-motorized watercraft in the harbour, and yet the search and rescue base was shut down.

We made a commitment to reopen the base, which we did very soon after being elected in 2015. We expanded the base, and it is now able to serve the safety of Vancouverites on the waters.

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Continuing debate, the member for North Okanagan—Shuswap.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Chair, who owns Canada's fisheries resources?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Chair, they are a public good. They are a public property resource.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Chair, according to the Constitution, who is ultimately responsible for managing Canada's fisheries resources?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Chair, it is the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the minister who signs off. I am responsible.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Chair, according to section 91 of the Constitution Act, 1867, it gives the exclusive legislative authority to the Parliament of Canada in all matters pertaining to fisheries.

Considering that the common resources of Canada's fisheries belong to Canadians, who does the minister think should be the beneficiary of Canada's fisheries resources?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Chair, it is a great opportunity for me to point out just how rich and abundant we are in fisheries resources here in Canada, with 90% of our fisheries in healthy shape, and to the benefit of the harvesters, the communities and the whole—

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

The hon. member.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Chair, how important is DFO's at-sea science to its assessment and management of fisheries resources?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Chair, all of our science programs are key to managing the fisheries.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Chair, the minister previously stated that she is proud of her government's delivery of Coast Guard vessels, so I would like to ask her about the new offshore fisheries science vessels the Sir John Franklin, Jacques Cartier and John Cabot. These vessels have been plagued with corrosion, premature wear, mislabelling and even a stop-sail order from Transport Canada since entering service between 2019 and 2021.

How much at-sea science and assessment capacity has DFO lost because of the deficient boats delivered by the Liberal government to the Coast Guard?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Chair, I want to remind the member of the decade of darkness that ended in 2015 when our government actually committed to replacing the fleet. It is the case that new ships often have challenges that need to be worked out, and that is exactly what we are doing.