Randy Kamp

[Petitions, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege today to present two petitions, both on the same topic, and both signed primarily by people from the Lower Mainland of British Columbia as well as the Fraser Valley.

The petitioners draw the attention of the House of Commons to the fact that Canada is the only nation in the western world, in the company of China and North Korea, without any laws restricting abortion. They point out as well that the Supreme Court of Canada has said that it is Parliament's responsibility to do so.

They call upon the House of Commons to speedily enact legislation that would restrict abortion to the greatest extent possible.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that is a bit of a strange question, but let me just reaffirm that we are fully committed to protecting the habitat of fisheries that provide tremendous benefit to Canadians.

We have come to the conclusion, with which many Canadians agree, that without greater focus, we are not able to do that in an effective way. Therefore, we will be focusing on recreational, commercial and aboriginal fisheries and doing that with excellence.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, our government is well aware of the catastrophic potential of this biological invasion, which is why we are committed to preventing the Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes.

In fact, just this week the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans stood on the shores of Lake Ontario and announced the creation and funding of a plan to fight Asian carp. The fund will focus on prevention, early warning, rapid response and management and control.

As the Prime Minister said when he announced the hunting and angling advisory panel on Wednesday, “We gladly accept the duty of protecting Canada's environment and its natural endowments for the benefit of future generations”.

[The Environment, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, we are committed to research on fresh water. That is why much of what we do at the Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg has generated some very good results in Lake Winnipeg, for example, and in other lakes in central Canada.

On this side of the House, we do not believe that the government has to do everything. We think that the Experimental Lakes facility, which was so useful in the acid rain era, now would be better managed by either a university or a non-governmental organization.

[The Environment, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, of course our government is committed to the Freshwater Institute and clean, fresh water. We have shown that by the funds we have put into the Lake Simcoe cleanup fund, for example.

The member is from Manitoba. She knows the Freshwater Institute will still continue to function. We just think that the work done at the Experimental Lakes facility would be better done by a non-governmental association or university.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the member has raised an important issue.

The minister is engaged in this. He will be consulting, obviously, with his officials and will be moving forward with what is in the best interests of Canada.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we did not have much of a conversation with former minister Siddon about Atlantic cod. I suppose we could have.

Let me remind the member that salmon are part of aboriginal, commercial and recreational fisheries. We are going to be protecting those with excellence to ensure that they are available for future generations.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague is suffering from the heartbreak of premature exaggeration.

We have said a number of times in this House that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans had a conversation with fisheries stakeholders about changes they would propose in order to make the fisheries more prosperous and sustainable for the future. The minister and his officials are continuing to look at that feedback and will make some decisions in the future.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we certainly agree that science is very important to the protection of our fisheries. That is why we invest about $230 million every year in science. We will continue to invest in the priorities so that we can protect these fisheries that Canadians depend on. We are committed to that.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, we are providing a much-needed greater focus on fisheries, particularly on recreational, commercial and aboriginal fisheries, so that we can ensure that those resources are available for future generations.

Frankly, I am a bit surprised that the member thinks this is a novel concept. In 1998, under a Liberal minister, there was a new policy document that explained how to apply the habitat section of the act. It says:

Section 35 is not about the protection of fish habitat for the benefit of fish, but of fisheries. Therefore, the decision required is a determination of whether or not the potentially affected fish habitat directly or indirectly supports - or has the potential to support - a commercial, recreational or subsistence fishery.