Fisheries committee  Our job is to ensure that we're providing the appropriate protection where it's required, so that we can grow biodiversity so that there are more fish. The world will need more fish, and our objective and our job is to make sure that there is a robust commercial and recreational

Fisheries committee  That was a significant closure. It protected 11 seamounts, and it's 1.44% of the 5.22%, which is what we're currently at. If you looked at our five-point plan to get to the 10%, it is absolutely considered as part of that. The next phase is going to be largely about marine protec

Fisheries committee  That's for MPAs in particular, not other effective area-based measures. We'd have to look at that together. We are looking at that. We are taking the enforcement and monitoring of it seriously. One of the objectives that we would take at the time, once we freeze the footprint,

Fisheries committee  Again, it speaks to the broad set of conservation tools that we have. One of the most important things that we advertise to the world is that Canada's lucrative fisheries, Canada's most important fisheries, are certified by the MSC. We're very proud of that. We work closely wit

Fisheries committee  I'll jump in. There are three things to mention. First, Jeff spoke to the final point about working with indigenous communities in terms of guardians, monitoring, and enforcement. We see that as a really useful tool. Second, the Oceans Act, at section 2.1, is one of the first p

Fisheries committee  There's work under way on indigenous-identified protected areas, led by Parks Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada and working with indigenous groups. It's going to be a very interesting new area. We have all the tools we talked about: the national marine conservation

Fisheries committee  —very important.

Fisheries committee  That's a really good question. First of all, it's incumbent upon us to ensure that we are working with the other agencies. Particularly in the last two years, as we've launched the process to get to 5% by this year, we have had close coordination between DFO, Parks Canada, and En

Fisheries committee  One of the elements—maybe I'll ask Jeff to speak to this—is around partnering with guardians locally. We mentioned that enforcement, monitoring, and effectiveness are all really important to getting the results we need out of MPAs. It gives us the ability—and we have other areas

Fisheries committee  The types of minimum standards that people have talked about and that have been raised at this table already—the sorts of things we've heard about that the panel could turn their mind to—are that there be no bottom trawling in any MPA, no oil and gas, or no mineral extraction, or

Fisheries committee  A big part of the purpose of Bill C-55 is to ensure that we're actually applying a legal protection, so that it wouldn't be possible to move forward with other regulatory measures, regardless of which department, whether it's Transport or whatever department—

Fisheries committee  We have said, “You can't fish in this area. You can't do certain types of fisheries in this area.” We haven't said, “You can't do that anywhere.” In other words, that fishery can take place elsewhere.

Fisheries committee  We have many tools on conservation. It goes back to the original question from MP McDonald. What do we do to ensure that we're effectively managing oceans? We apply the precautionary approach. We have harvest control rules and limit reference points. We have a number of tools. We

Fisheries committee  There's a lot of information out there. Other jurisdictions have looked at it. There are different pieces of legislation that do different things. There's a lot of material. Over the past two years, as we have moved very quickly in terms of protection standards, we've heard repea

Fisheries committee  Thank you for the question. There absolutely has been a plan, and we have talked to stakeholders about it. It's a five-point plan for meeting our 5% and 10% targets. Many stakeholders are getting tired of hearing it, but they have heard it often. One is to finish what we starte