SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 77

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 30, 2022 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens (Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix, BQ)
  • May/30/22 8:42:45 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, I am pleased to speak this evening. On March 30, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard closed the herring and mackerel fishery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with no prior notice that would have enabled fishers to pivot and come up with a plan B. When did the department first observe a drop in the biomass of spring herring and mackerel?
68 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:44:15 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, a leading scientist at the Université du Québec à Rimouski told us that he observed a significant decline in the resource more than 10 years ago, even 20 years in some places. Why did no one sound the alarm sooner to provide a bit of clarity to the fishers, who are currently feeling helpless?
59 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:45:11 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, how is it that no one in the department had the foresight to assist fishermen, knowing that the resource is in decline? How is it possible that no one had the foresight to consider the people in this equation?
41 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:46:04 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, I would like to know whether the minister believes that just closing the fishery is enough to restore the stocks, since the mortality rate from fishing for this species is about 6%. I am wondering whether she believes that closing the fishery will be enough to restore the resource.
51 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:47:00 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, did the minister receive the unanimous motion tabled on April 7 by the Quebec National Assembly calling for compensation for the financial losses incurred by fishers affected by the closing of the fishery? Is the minister aware of that unanimous motion from the Quebec National Assembly?
49 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:47:56 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, will the minister respond to the motion adopted by the Quebec National Assembly?
15 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:48:14 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, it is quite surprising that the government has not already done so. Could the minister give an idea of the timeline? When does she plan to assess how much compensation should be paid to these fishers who are facing a black hole, who no longer have EI, who are waiting in limbo and whose families are running out of resources and money? Some fishers and families are in dire straits. It is not true that all fishers also fish lobster. Many fishers in the Gaspé earn their living solely from herring and mackerel. I would like to know whether she plans to do something quickly.
108 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:49:39 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, it is very interesting to hear the minister talk about a plan that may come to fruition in the medium term. It is a bit like agriculture. Because the climate for agriculture is unpredictable, there are all sorts of tools for overcoming certain difficulties, such as those caused by climate change. Could the minister come up with some kind of aid, such as compensation, quota transfers or emergency funds, and finally offer a plan to help fishers who are victims of sudden and unexpected decisions made by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans?
95 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:51:07 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, at a parliamentary committee at the National Assembly of Quebec, Quebec's department of agriculture, fisheries and food revealed that DFO and its minister did not notify the Quebec government before suspending the mackerel and herring fishery, even though they are supposed to. We in Quebec would like to know why.
53 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:51:49 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, we will stick to small fish. It will do me good to speak about something other than capelin, but I will come back to that. What statistics did the department use to make its decision to suspend mackerel and herring fishing? Does the department have data from fishers outside Quebec? The fishers in the pelagic fishery in Gaspé say they are pretty much the only ones to report their catches. What does the minister think of the fishers' statement?
82 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:53:20 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, I will repeat my question. What data did the DFO use to make this decision? Did they use the figures provided by fishers in the Gaspé pelagic fishery, who stated that they are the only ones to report their catches? Did the department use those figures when it decided to close the fishery this year?
58 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:53:56 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, what are the minister's thoughts on the public statement by her colleague, the Minister of National Revenue and member for Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, who, on April 12, told a local Gaspé media outlet I will not name that she condemned the closure, which she even called unacceptable? Who is right: the minister or her colleague from Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine?
77 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:54:34 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, does Fisheries and Oceans Canada's science branch include sociologists and economists who participate in the decision-making process?
21 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:54:56 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, are they sociologists, economists or essentially scientists who are more specialized in biodiversity?
15 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:55:23 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, in closing on this subject, what can the fishers hope for as they listen to us today from the Gaspé knowing they have no more work? Given that the fishers who depend on the herring and mackerel fisheries will have nothing to eat tomorrow, what can they hope for from the minister and her department as we speak in the House right now?
66 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:56:18 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, what role does local knowledge play in the decisions made by Fisheries and Oceans Canada? Is there a place in all this for the local people, the fishers, their views and their observations? They are the ones out there doing the work. What role does the minister think this local knowledge plays?
54 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 8:57:01 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, my last question has to do with capelin. I had to intervene seven times. I had to reach out seven times to make the department listen to two small-scale capelin weir fishers and understand that they were not negatively affecting the resource, even though the fishers themselves had sent numerous letters and emails without ever receiving a response. Their MP had to intervene seven times to get the suspension lifted at the end of the month. Can the minister explain why the department is not doing more to listen to people on the ground when it matters?
100 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 10:59:30 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, earlier, the minister said that the DFO scientific team included economists and sociologists. Could the minister tell us how many economists are employed by DFO?
27 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 11:00:02 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, I would also like to know how many sociologists work at DFO. In addition, are there other social science experts working at DFO and, if so, what types of experts?
32 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens
  • May/30/22 11:00:54 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, the minister just opened a new door with her mention of data. What we are hearing on the ground is that there is a lot of missing data regarding certain species, in particular pelagic species, and especially in the St. Lawrence. Does the minister think that DFO has enough ships?
53 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border