Fisheries Committee on March 21st, 2024

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

I've always wanted to use that in parliamentary language.

Canada used to have a very successful seal hunt, and certainly that stock is exploding. Do you think Canada should support an effort to renew a commercial seal harvest? What could you tell the committee we are doing to begin utilizing that resource?

You can answer the question in French.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Yes, I am going to answer the question in French.

I am very proud to be able to talk about a species. We should not say it is a new species, because it is a species that was exploited in the past. Work is being done on this invasive species, which is what seals are. Meetings have been held on the east coast and a lot of work is also being done with the indigenous communities, the Innu and Inuit, who are in full agreement about exploiting this resource in a responsible way and, as I said, being able to utilize the product to its full capacity, since 98% of the product is usable. That will also improve economic development for women and indigenous communities. In addition, work has been done and meetings have been held with ambassadors, particularly the Japanese ambassador, and that work is ongoing. I think it is important to be able to talk openly about it. We need not hide, we need not refrain from telling it like it is. Some countries are open to the possibility of working together.

At present, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, seals are like a fleet of evil, lawless fishing vessels that come to feed in the same pantry as we do. The objective is not to eliminate seals, it is to make them a new resource that will be profitable to the economy outside our urban centres.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Thank you, Minister.

Minister, one issue on the east coast, your area and mine, is the frustration that Atlantic fishers have when we close down the spring mackerel fishery and the Americans choose to adjust their quota to accommodate for the mackerel we don't fish. Do you care to opine on how you are going to approach that this year?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

We are also going to use science. My objective is to make a responsible decision. As I said earlier, personally, I am not going to be more Catholic than the Pope. If we need to get a bit more information and have exploratory fisheries, I am open to that. We are going to look at what is being done in the United States and consider how to do things properly.

I want to let everyone around the table know my primary objective. The challenges associated with climate change and what is currently happening in the gulf call for everyone to work together to become architects of the fisheries of the future. We have to know how to give the next generation access to fishing licences. We have to reassess the Fisheries Act, and I congratulate the committee for its work on that subject. It is work that is important for all our communities. As I said, it is in the interests of our children, our grandchildren, and, I hope, our great-grandchildren.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Thank you, Minister.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you, Mr. Morrissey. Finally, somebody went a bit under time.

We'll go to Madame Desbiens for two and a half minutes or less, please.

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister, this is about fishers in the pelagic fishery for mackerel, herring, shrimp, redfish and crab, and the processing plants. Things are going well for lobster, but it will be a problem if it gets eaten by seals.

In your budget, there are millions of dollars that come in part from our fishers' income taxes. Is there money to support the fisheries that are affected by all of the circumstances we see today, including the lack of predictability at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans? Everyone here has observed this. Is there a budget to remedy or support it, to improve the fate of all the fishers who are dying right now? It is very serious.

You seem to be saying that since I was not born in the Gaspé, I do not understand the ocean. Well, my father and my grandfather fished for 37 years. Don't worry; I can tell the difference between shrimp and crab.

Is there something in your budget to help these people? People are constantly shouting at me and both my telephones ring all the time.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

What I want to tell you is that I am in touch with the industry. I go out to speak with them and I will keep doing it.

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

The industry is not being heard by the Minister.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

I am continuing to be in touch with the industry. Last week, I met with the union people. We will do the same thing with the associations. For me, this is work that is going to keep going.

As I told the people I meet with, having a licence is a privilege. That privilege provides the ability to exploit a public resource, a resource that belongs to all Canadians.

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

And yet 85% come from outside Canada.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

It is a resource that has to be exploited properly. There has to be market access. Can things be done differently? I think that will be important for the next version of the Fisheries Act and the work we have to do to preserve our future in the fisheries sector. As I say, we have to be architects.

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

When is the next Fisheries Act going to be put into effect?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

We have to be fisheries architects.

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Those are very big words. We look forward to it.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

We have to have high hopes.

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

We look forward to it anxiously.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you.

We'll now go to Ms. Barron for two and a half minutes or less, please.

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Thank you, Chair.

Minister, one of the recent times the department officials were here, I was asking about the British Columbia government, which is moving forward with some really strong actions around watershed protection. Now more than ever we need leadership at all levels of government to protect our watersheds, given the lower than ever snow and rain and worsening droughts. They're essential as we move forward with climate action, and I see you nodding and agreeing with that.

The NDP government in British Columbia is seeking support from the federal government to match the funds for a watershed security fund. A letter went out to your colleagues the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Emergency Preparedness, and I noticed that you're not included on it, but I will certainly forward it your way so that you are aware of it.

I was hoping to get your response on the importance of us having the leadership at all levels of government working together to protect our watersheds.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Your point is well taken. We have seen that there was little or no snow this winter and I think that is the case more or less everywhere. We are afraid there will be more forest fires. It was catastrophic last year.

It is really in our interests to all work together to protect our watersheds, in order to protect our drinking water as well. There are certainly concerns in that respect, regarding groundwater, and questions about how to best use the water in our watersheds that flows into our rivers and oceans. I think this must be done collaboratively.

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

If you can, review the letter I will send your way. Your colleagues have received it already. The letter is from all NDP members of Parliament in British Columbia, who are seeking support from the federal government to match the funding of the province and to see a path forward on this. Perhaps I can loop back to you and we can work together on seeing this through in the hope that your government can fund it.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you, Ms. Barron.

We'll now go to Mr. Small for four minutes or less, please.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Hardie mentioned earlier the reports coming out of this committee, and it seems to us they're collecting dust. We've had the mackerel report, which was completed last year, and the pinniped report. You recently said, Minister, that seal meat would become the new lobster, so I guess you've been hopping on the marketing plan.

The report recommended a whole-of-government approach to developing markets. Can you name the government departments you've worked with so far? Marketing was identified as the most needed thing to bring back a viable sealing industry. Which government departments were they? Just name the departments, please.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

As I said when I took office as the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, seals are one of my priorities—

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

My time is limited. I'd just like the names of the departments that you've engaged so far in helping to develop markets, please.