Fisheries committee  In a technical sense, I don't believe so. First of all, we have our fleet separation policies. Secondly, the location of the fishery is such that I don't think an inshore vessel would be able to safely navigate and undertake fishing in those offshore areas.

Fisheries committee  The answer, generally, is no. That would partly be because those offshore licences are specifically attributed to the offshore fishing area, which would be reasonably inaccessible to 65-foot or less vessels.

Fisheries committee  I will say, Chair, that this isn't an area that I have direct linkage in terms of the work that's being led from our policy and regional offices. Unfortunately, I don't have—

Fisheries committee  Unfortunately, I don't have specific responses. I came prepared on the offshore study. I do apologize for that.

Fisheries committee  For companies to whom offshore licences are issued, there is the 51% Canadian ownership requirement and the rules around notifying the department when there's a change in that corporate structure. If a company is not able to meet that Canadian ownership requirement, they would be

Fisheries committee  In terms of the offshore licensing regime, I would go back to that 51% Canadian ownership requirement that is a key piece there. Not to speak for the federation, but they may also have been speaking about inshore licenses. In that instance, we have the inshore regulations that en

Fisheries committee  The nature of offshore licences is such that the operations often occur throughout Atlantic Canada and Quebec. That's why our focus is on the Canadian ownership status of the company to whom that licence is issued, as opposed to the specific community. This is unlike inshore lice

Fisheries committee  The inshore fishery is 100% Canadian-owned because of the requirements in the inshore regulations that I described. In the offshore sector, each of those licences is issued to a company that is at least 51% Canadian-owned. I should note that requirement and that corporate structu

Fisheries committee  When it comes to the offshore fishery.... I'm not sure if you were specifically referring to offshore licences.

Fisheries committee  In terms of processing, with the provincial jurisdiction there I wouldn't be able to speak to any sort of analysis that provincial governments may do related to processing rules and regulations within their jurisdictions. In terms of the offshore licensing regime, offshore lice

Fisheries committee  In terms of fishing licences and fishing operations, they are all majority Canadian-owned. The ownership of processing is provincial jurisdiction. The department does, of course, work with provincial governments, recognizing their jurisdiction. We do work closely with provincia

Fisheries committee  Certainly, in terms of the fishing licences and that aspect of things, we are confident that they are majority Canadian-owned in all cases. In terms of the processing sector and the ownership of those corporations and those operations, the rules are different from province to pr

Fisheries committee  Well, it is true that the processing sector is part of—

Fisheries committee  Certainly, the department is working on those issues on the west coast. I don't have specific responses or further answers to give you in terms of what possible future policy responses might be considered at this point, but certainly, the department is obviously aware of the comm

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, I can attempt to respond to that question. Of the 97 offshore licences, what I was referring to is if there is a change in their corporate structure. At this moment in time, to our knowledge, all 97 licences meet the Canadian ownership requirements. If there is a ch