Business of Supply  Madam Chair, the Atlantic fisheries fund is a real success story. It was so successful that we have actually expanded it to include Quebec and B.C. as well. This is a fund that is available for fishers and producers to innovate their businesses in order to scale up or do value-ad

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, it is interesting that my hon. colleague brought up Atlantic salmon and the challenges they are facing with regard to habitat degradation. We have seen the same problems on the west coast with the wild Pacific salmon. Investing in coastal restoration is extremely imp

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, at DFO every decision we make is based on conservation. It is the number one priority. We want to make sure that the fishery is sustainable for the long term, for generations to come. I will say that this is a goal shared by commercial harvesters as well as indigeno

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, when it comes to marine-protected areas, we know the ones that are the most successful are the ones built from the ground up with the communities, making sure there is active engagement. The Eastern Shore Islands area of interest encompasses exceptional coastal habit

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, with respect to the North Atlantic right whale, we have taken measures to make sure we protect this iconic species. I would like to say this was done in collaboration and co-operation with harvesters, environmental stakeholder groups and communities. Making sure we p

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his intervention. I know how hard this is. I know what a difficult situation it is with aquatic invasive species. We are working with our provincial and territorial counterparts to address the concern. We know that it is signif

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, we welcome Oceana's fisheries audit, and we will be reviewing its recommendations, but our government has made several key investments that are already showing progress toward sustainable fisheries and strengthening our oceans' protections. The department is contin

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, our government acknowledges the challenges being faced by Pacific salmon fishery participants, including recreational anglers. We are also carefully considering requests for a mark-selective hatchery-origin chinook and mark-selective fishery opportunities. Further co

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, our government understands the importance of protecting biodiversity and the quality of Canadian waters. As such, we are focused on coordinating our efforts to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in Canada. This is so important that the Prime Minister incl

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, as I said, we are continuing to work with our provincial and territorial counterparts. We recognize that aquatic invasive species are a real threat to our ecosystems. More has to be done. We are working diligently to make sure that we address the concern of these aqu

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, as I said, the Prime Minister has put in my mandate letter the work to fight aquatic invasive species. We are working with our provincial and territorial counterparts to make sure that we address these challenges. I know that it is a difficult situation with these aq

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, the Supreme Court has made it clear that the first nations have a right to a moderate livelihood fishery. We are working with first nations to ensure we implement that right. This is extremely important for reconciliation. It is important to our government. It is imp

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, conservation underpins everything we do at DFO. No decision will be made that will affect the conservation of the species. We need to ensure that it is sustainable for the long term. Nobody wants to do anything that will change that, including commercial harvesters a

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, as I have said many times, these are difficult negotiations. We are continuing to work with first nations to ensure we implement the fishery. We are working with them now on their fishery plans. A number of them have been given to us and we are working in negotiation

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, I cannot prejudge what comes out of negotiations. Nor do I negotiate in public. These negotiations are ongoing at the moment. We will do everything we can to ensure that the right is implemented, but also ensure that conservation is our top priority.