Fisheries committee  A number of the Russian whales came from a program of the Russian military where beluga whales were trained to place limpet mines under ships. When the Soviet Union collapsed, those whales were going to be turned into dog food. Instead, they were eventually transported to Canada

Fisheries committee  We don't sell whales. Whales have been requested from other institutions on occasion. In some circumstances other cetaceans have been brought in exchange. Otherwise, there have been funds provided to Marineland. All of those funds are then spent on the beluga whale program. None

Fisheries committee  Unfortunately it does not alleviate the specific concern that was raised in the Senate prior to these amendments that you're now considering. There was an opportunity for the Senate to address this specific issue two years ago, and it did not do it. It is now in the hands of the

Fisheries committee  This is something we have considered carefully. As I said, we've obtained the advice of the former chief Crown for the Province of Ontario, the former director of criminal prosecution for Ontario, and what I have expressed he is in accord with. This is a situation we face as a pr

Fisheries committee  Well, first of all there isn't indiscriminate breeding. Secondly, there is a well-developed veterinary program. There are three veterinarians who review the condition, health and care of the animals every single day. There are a dozen veterinary specialists who are available to p

Fisheries committee  Regarding capacity, Marineland has the largest pools housing whales in the world; we are aware of capacity issues. Those scientists, those veterinarians, advise the animal care committee, and their advice regarding whether or not they have appropriate space is adhered to strictly

Fisheries committee  The reason for that is that Marineland was undergoing an expansion. As a consequence, we have to do a re-accreditation following completion of the work. I can advise the committee that we have CAZA coming within the next month to do a pre-inspection, and we will then be going thr

Fisheries committee  Sadly Mr. Holer, who is the founder of Marineland, has passed away. Consequently, Marineland is under new management, and all those issues are under appropriate consideration.

Fisheries committee  Under the act, there's a requirement to cease breeding based on the scientific information we have. In order to separate such a large group of whales, which is extremely stressful, it will take a long period of time, particularly in the context of existing pregnancies. It could i

Fisheries committee  It's 16 months, so we have whales that are currently pregnant and will give birth this year. We have whales that will give birth in 2020. While we separate, we may have some tail-end animals that become pregnant. It's very difficult to determine when they have become pregnant.

Fisheries committee  Years, many years.

Fisheries committee  It'll cause a huge amount of stress. This is not moving two or three or four whales; this is more than 50 whales. This is a very complex process that will require a great deal of oversight and a great deal of care. Whales, when they are separated, display a great deal of stress,

Fisheries committee  Yes. Many of the concerns raised by this bill appear to be around issues that are quite old. Marineland is one of the most heavily inspected and regulated institutions in the world. Not a single charge has been laid related to any of these issues raised by Ms. Visser or others—no

Fisheries committee  Yes, I was.

Fisheries committee  With respect, as I stated, I believe he misunderstood the argument we were making. He referred to the sub 3 section, when we were referring to the sub 2 section. I could also state —