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Business of Supply November 24th, 2020
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—
Business of Supply November 24th, 2020
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.
Business of Supply November 24th, 2020
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.
Business of Supply November 24th, 2020
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.
Business of Supply November 24th, 2020
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.
Business of Supply November 24th, 2020
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.
Business of Supply November 24th, 2020
Madam Chair, I am sorry, my Internet cut out for a second. Could the member please repeat the question?
Business of Supply November 24th, 2020
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.
Business of Supply November 24th, 2020
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.
Business of Supply November 24th, 2020
Madam Chair, small craft harbours are extremely important. They are the vital infrastructure that keep our fishery running. We need to make sure we are doing everything. Our government has invested significantly in small craft harbours. I know how important they are to our rural coastal communities and I will continue to work to make sure we are addressing the gaps we are seeing in our small craft harbours.