Transport committee  I think the evidence, the outcome of the measures put in place in response to the volume of ship strikes and entanglements in 2017, going from quite a large number, a very significant percentage of the global population, dying in Canadian waters to no whales dying, speaks for its

Transport committee  Just so I understand, which clause are you asking about?

Transport committee  In the absence of an actual explanation from the minister's perspective, I don't really know, but I suspect it's much like exclusions under the Species at Risk Act or the Fisheries Act, where research activities are excluded from certain restrictions. For example, I suppose, if i

Transport committee  I agree—along with all of the witnesses, I believe—that it is important to make environmental decisions based on the best available science, and that it is most likely helpful in these situations if the minister is in consultation with Environment Canada or, more likely, the Depa

Transport committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. I thank the committee for inviting me to speak today regarding the amendments to the Canada Shipping Act and the Marine Liability Act proposed in Bill C-86. I'm a lawyer with Ecojustice Canada. Ecojustice is Canada's largest environmental law organizatio

Fisheries committee  I honestly have no answer for why the government hasn't. I don't know why the government hasn't addressed threats to date. It is disappointing, but I think with respect to what to do now—and I am heartened by the clear interest and commitment to addressing this issue at this poin

Fisheries committee  I've just lost it. Wait, I have you again.

Fisheries committee  That's a really important thing to be aware of. During the first round of National Energy Board hearings, the board was presented with evidence produced by a collection of conservation biologists. It's an analysis called a population viability assessment, and it looked at the tra

Fisheries committee  —so I have no idea what different opinions may have been put forward. The closure areas proposed in the petition are based on scientific information presented by whale scientists. I believe the committee heard from Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, who was endorsing and supporting the

Fisheries committee  Just to be clear, the imminent threat determination is made under the Species at Risk Act. That determination was made by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in May. That was based on scientific assessment of the rapid decline t

Fisheries committee  I think we have to be really clear. We're talking specifically about chinook fisheries. We're talking specifically about the south coast chinook fisheries, not all chinook fisheries. As a response to the extremely poor returns this year, where we unfortunately [Technical difficul

Fisheries committee  I should start by clarifying that several foraging area closures were proposed, and that the actual closures are not identical to the ones set out in our petition. For example, the approaches to the Fraser River are only a partial closure, and the areas along the Juan de Fuca are

Fisheries committee  I'd like to thank the committee for inviting me to appear today on the issue of protecting endangered whales. I am a lawyer with Ecojustice Canada, and I am the Director of Ecojustice's nature program. I currently represent conservation organizations that have petitioned the gov