Keith Ashfield

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that we are making major improvements to the Fisheries Act. We are going to focus on fish and fish habitat and not on farmers' fields. We are making improvements to several conservation tools. We will allow a creation of new, clearer and accessible guidelines for Canadians to follow for projects in or near water. We will have partnerships with conservation groups, which so very important to the fisheries in this nation. These changes will allow regulations to be made that will prohibit the import, export and possession of live aquatic—

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that one thing that I have done is consulted. The purpose of our consultation process was to hear back from people in the fishery and fishing industry as to what they thought we could do as a government to improve the fishery and improve our efficiencies to make it so fishers can actually make a living from fishing.

That is what we are doing. We are listening to people and analyzing what we have heard.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about close to 11,000 employees in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. We have sent out 1,000 letters of notification that jobs may be affected, which will probably net out to 400 jobs, just slightly over 3% of the total employment in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which can easily be handled through attrition.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for admitting that his party is prepared for change when it comes to modernizing the fishery.

I tend to think that the NDP makes up questions on the go. I have no idea what the member is talking about when he talks about eliminating the tagging of lobster.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, apparently the member opposite has a crystal ball that I do not have. There is no mention in the BIA about fleet separation or anything else.

I consulted with the fishermen and asked for their feedback on what they perceived as possible solutions to improving the fishery. Obviously, I got some feedback in that regard and I am carefully considering all of the feedback that I have received.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know what box of Cracker Jacks the member is getting his information from. We have said nothing in the budget implementation act about fleet separation. I do not know what the gentleman is talking about.

[The Budget, June 7th, 2012]

On the contrary, Mr. Speaker. My comments from the day before yesterday were actually reaffirmed by the federation of cities and municipalities in its documents.

It says,

That the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) request the Government of Canada to ensure that changes to the Fisheries Act continue to protect our fisheries and natural environment while improving administrative efficiency by reducing unnecessary, ineffective and burdensome procedures;

That is exactly what we are doing.

[Search and Rescue, June 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Coast Guard ship, the Harp, is slower and less capable than other Canadian Coast Guard ships, which are larger, faster and can better service and deliver the area.

Following the decommission of the Harp, more capable, multi-task vessels will be used to deliver the same search and rescue levels of service to the area.

Unlike the Liberals, we are investing billions of dollars in the Coast Guard, while they left ships tied up at docks, rusting and without fuel.

[The Budget, June 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, there was some concern about my comments in the House yesterday but I have to say that the recommendations coming out of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities this past weekend reaffirm and strengthen my comments of yesterday. It says that many of the amendments to the Fisheries Act proposed in Bill C-38 respond to the municipal sectors' long-standing position that the act must be updated to “reduce duplication; streamline the process for small, low-risk projects; remove unnecessary and costly administrative burdens on municipalities....”

That is exactly what we are doing.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. We are focusing on fish and fish habitat protection.

The opposition likes to ignore a lot of the good things that are in the changes to the act, such as identifying ecologically sensitive areas, making the Fisheries Act conditions enforceable and allowing higher maximum penalties for rule breakers. It would also allow the creation of new, clear and accessible guidelines for Canadians to follow for projects in and around or near water.