Fisheries committee  We are ensuring that we are moving forward in a proper and appropriate process.

Fisheries committee  I'm happy to ask the Coast Guard officials who are here with me today to respond specifically, but there are normal procedures for reporting these kinds of things. Certainly, we are working to ensure that the Coast Guard has the capabilities it requires, whether that's vessel life extension or new ships, and we are going to ensure that the Coast Guard has what it needs to do its job.

Fisheries committee  The Canadian Coast Guard has done an assessment of all of its requirements on a go-forward basis. We have certainly spent lots of time on that, as well as on options, with respect to how we will fill the various needs we have, over time. We are in the process of completing that work—

Fisheries committee  We are still in the process of completing that work. At some point, it will be public.

Fisheries committee  That's a pretty cheesy question. I am fully comfortable that the commissioner and the senior management of the Coast Guard are fully capable and equipped to do their jobs.

Fisheries committee  The Atlantic fisheries fund, as you will all know, is a $400-million program that is jointly financed by the federal and provincial governments, 70% federal and 30% provincial. It is a tool that's allowed us to encourage and foster innovation in the fish harvesting sector and to invest in the on-the-ground science that many of the fish harvesters feel is important to get done.

Fisheries committee  It is an important issue. I know you're speaking specifically about Malpeque Bay and some of the challenges there. There are a number of cases where the dredging issues are increasingly important, although there are also other harbours where maintenance is required simply as a result of climate change-related weather events.

Fisheries committee  This issue is obviously very important on the Atlantic coast, but it's also of significance on the Pacific coast, and increasingly is emerging as an issue of importance in the Arctic. The government has recognized the importance of ensuring we have funding to be able to address some of the issues that you talked about.

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you very much for the invitation to be here today. I will give some opening remarks, and then I think Jen will just supplement those a little bit. As you noted, I'm accompanied by a number of members of our senior management team. I'll give the committee a brief financial overview of the 2019-20 main estimates for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard before speaking about some of the accomplishments of my department.

Oceans Act  Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to distinguish the two issues. Certainly, the issues in British Columbia have nothing to do with marine protected areas. They have to do with conservation for the purpose of saving Fraser chinook salmon. Extensive consultations went on over many months with all relevant stakeholders and first nations communities with respect to Fraser chinook salmon and the fisheries regulations.

Oceans Act  Mr. Speaker, in the regulations in the guidelines that we have established with respect to conservation areas, there are two categories. One is marine protected areas and the other is other effective area-based conservation measures. In marine protected areas, oil and gas extraction, bottom trawling or dumping will not be allowed.

Oceans Act  Mr. Speaker, with respect to standards for conservation areas, which we announced a couple of weeks ago, there are two categories: marine protected areas and other effective area-based measures. We have put in place guidelines with respect to what is and what is not allowed in both of those.

Oceans Act  Mr. Speaker, the bill is important in the broader context of the commitment to nature that the government has demonstrated through the significant amount of funding that has been put into the nature agenda. The bill would enable us to more rapidly protect, on an interim basis, areas of high ecological significance to ensure that ecologically significant attributes and biodiversity are not affected during the process of assessing permanent status.

Oceans Act  Mr. Speaker, as I noted in my speech, sections 29 to 33 of the act spell out the requirement for consultation. We believe that the intent of the amendment that was made in the other House was already reflected in the existing bill. However, when the bill was sent back to us after nearly a year in the Senate, we suggested an amendment to capture the intent of the message that the other chamber sent to us, such that it is very clear that not only would the requirement for consultation exist, but also the requirement for transparency in terms of what consultations have taken place.

Oceans Act  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be here today to talk about the message to the Senate on Bill C-55, a bill that will amend the Oceans Act and the Canada Petroleum Resources Act. First, I want to thank the parliamentary secretary, the member for Charlottetown, for starting the debate off last Friday and for his work on this file.