Bernadette Jordan

[Fisheries and Oceans, March 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his hard work and advocacy on the fisheries committee, where they are now doing a study on wild Pacific salmon.

This is a species that is in critical shape. We know that there are a lot of factors impacting our wild Pacific salmon, including climate change and human impacts, both from contaminants and from changes in land and water use. That is why our government has invested $145 million in habitat restoration. We are going to continue to work with first nations communities, provinces and territories to find the best solutions possible because we know how iconic this species is to British Columbia.

There is more that needs to be done, and I look forward to working with the member opposite to—

[Fisheries and Oceans, March 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work with our stakeholders and with our fishers to make sure we are doing everything possible to mitigate any challenges we are seeing with the port.

We will continue to work with all parties engaged. We will follow up with the member on this issue.

[Fisheries and Oceans, March 9th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, first nations have the Supreme Court-affirmed treaty right to fish, and we have never stopped working to implement that right. This is a new path for first nations to realize their right and will allow them to fish this season.

Seasons ensure that stocks are harvested sustainably. They are necessary for a predictable and well-managed fishery, and this approach respects the Marshall decision. Marshall II states that moderate livelihood fisheries may be regulated if those regulations can be justified on conservation grounds.

We will continue to work with first nations to make sure that this treaty right is implemented this year.

[Fisheries and Oceans, February 18th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague said, Canada is an ocean nation. We have the largest coastlines in the world, and over 300,000 Canadians are employed through our blue economy. This is why it is important that we develop a blue economy strategy that is second to none.

Last week, we launched the engagement with a number of stakeholders through round tables, including ones with industry, fisheries and aquaculture, academia, ocean science and women in ocean leadership.

The blue economy strategy is going to be ambitious, prosperous and productive as well as sustainable. It is extremely important for us to develop this strategy for our future.

[Fisheries and Oceans, February 5th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for her advocacy and for continuing to reach out to myself and my team to have these very important discussions.

This is a twofold question.

First, the decision to phase out fish farms in the Discovery Island was not an easy one to make, but it was made in consultation with the seven first nations in that area that had real concerns around aquaculture in their territory. We know this has had impacts, and we are looking at all ways that we can address these concerns. We are going to continue to work with the Province of British Columbia, industry, first nations and communities to ensure we are doing everything we can to address those concerns.

With regard to—

[Fisheries and Oceans, January 28th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize the challenges being faced during the pandemic with respect to declining stocks as well in B.C. waters. We are making sure that we are doing everything we can to address these concerns. We know this public group has been hard hit. We will continue to work diligently with stakeholders to make sure we can address these issues as we go forward.

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, implementing the Marshall decision is critical to the work of reconciliation, and it is a priority of our government. The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard has met and continues to meet on a regular basis with first nations leadership and commercial industry representatives. Our government is working with communities to discuss their fishery plans and reach agreements. Together we will ensure that the treaty right to pursue a moderate livelihood is implemented in a way that ensures safe, orderly and sustainable fishing. Our goal is, and always has been, to develop a strong, stable and productive fishery for the benefit of everyone involved.

Information regarding briefings is proactively disclosed in accordance with the Access to Information Act and can be found at https://search.open.canada.ca/en/bn/?sort=score%20desc&page=1&search_text=bn-search-orgs=Fisheries%20and%20Oceans%20Canada.

[Business of Supply, November 24th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, our government is absolutely committed to ensuring we do everything we can to address the decline of wild Pacific salmon. We know there is no silver bullet to this. There are a number of ongoing issues related to things like climate change and habitat degradation. We have seen the Big Bar landslide. There have been a number of challenges with regard to salmon.

We are taking every available measure to ensure we protect the stock. We will continue to do that very hard work. I look forward to working with my colleague on that.

[Business of Supply, November 24th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, the retrieval of ghost gear is extremely important and a number of stakeholders are involved in that process. We have seen a significant uptake on this program. We want to ensure we are retrieving these harmful gear from our waters. There is no place for ghost gear in the ocean. We need to ensure we do everything we can to mitigate the problems that it causes not only for our whales, but also with regard to our ocean sustainability.

We have invested $8.3 million in the ghost gear fund and we will continue to ensure we address this long-term challenge we have—

[Business of Supply, November 24th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, we agree that Pacific herring fulfills a vital role in the ecosystem. Its conservation is always going to be a primary objective. We also recognize indigenous fishing rights and the important economic benefits generated from Pacific herring. We are continuing to consult with first nations, harvesters and other interested stakeholders on this shared objective. We consider their valuable input when we inform our fisheries decisions. However, we do base our decisions on science and we will continue to do that.