SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 77

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 30, 2022 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP)
  • May/30/22 11:59:50 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, first I want to thank the minister and her team, and you, Mr. Chair, for being here tonight. It has been four hours. Crab harvesters in area E, Tofino, have been at a continued significant economic loss since the April 1 trap reallocation. The government still has not responded to their requests for an independently facilitated negotiation process, a process that is imperative to help speed up the licence buyback and properly compensate harvesters for the immediate losses they face and will continue to face until enough licences are bought back. When will the minister be responding to their requests, meet and set up a negotiation table?
109 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:01:11 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, how many licences is the minister committed to buying back to ensure that there is no net loss of traps and that the “willing buyer, willing seller” policy is adhered to?
35 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:01:47 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, it has been a year since the Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced the $647-million Pacific salmon strategy initiative. In that time, there has been really no genuine engagement with first nations. The Nuu-chah-nulth nations especially are saying to me that to implement the PSSI on the west coast of Vancouver Island, they need to be engaged clearly. Indeed, all the evidence to date points to the PSSI as yet another example of the department directing long-awaited funding toward internal priorities instead of working with first nations to decide how best to allocate limited resources. Will the minister direct her staff to immediately reach out to the Nuu-chah-nulth nations to establish a process for a jointly managed implementation of the PSSI on the west coast of Vancouver Island?
136 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:03:05 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, how will the minister ensure that the PSSI Pacific salmon commercial licence retirement program supports coastal communities and owner-operator fishers, avoids further corporate consolidation of the fishing fleet and holds industry participants responsible for supporting sustainable harvest transformation?
41 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:03:45 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, the installation of intensive subtidal geoduck aquaculture is proposed for the herring spawning grounds in Lambert Channel which, according to Department of Fisheries and Oceans records, are the source of 38% of all the herring spawn that has ever occurred on the B.C. coast and would support the whole Strait of Georgia marine ecosystem. Will the minister put the protection of the spawning habitat of this keystone species ahead of the installation of industrial aquaculture and save it from the inevitable cumulative damage that would follow?
89 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:04:39 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, will the minister commit to taking a whole-of-ecosystem management-based approach? She has heard me talk about this endlessly, because we see harvests of some species impacting other species. Will she gear her department to take a whole-of-ecosystem management approach, especially with the blue economy?
51 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:05:11 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, does the minister support owner-operator?
8 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:05:20 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, if so, is its compliance being monitored?
9 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:05:29 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, will the minister tell us how many cases are under review then of those that are in violation?
20 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:05:45 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, when will the minister share what information will be public? She says she will get that to me. When will she get that to me?
27 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:06:07 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, does the minister intend to include owner-operators in the blue economy strategy?
15 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:06:23 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, that is not a commitment. I am hoping the minister can commit to that. In terms of reconciliation, how long does the department intend to exclusively continue using the fishery to satisfy treaty rights?
36 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:06:42 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, how long does the department intend to exclusively continue to use the fisheries to satisfy treaty rights? I have spoken to the minister repeatedly, asking her to ask the minister of CIRNAC to supply funds for reconciliation so that reconciliation does not fall on the backs of a small group of fishers and it is shared by all Canadians. Maybe she can speak to that. We have talked about it in relation to the west coast crab fishers. Maybe she can talk about whether she has had this conversation with the minister of CIRNAC.
96 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:07:37 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, we have not seen the numbers in the budget dedicated and committed to that, but we are encouraged to hear that, especially when we are asking the minister to get to the table immediately with the crab fishers I mentioned. Does the department fully understand the social and economic considerations for all parties when access is being sought?
60 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:08:16 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, does the department intend to continue to expropriate access to areas where there are no expressions of interest through “willing buyer, willing seller”?
27 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:08:42 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, has the department worked with indigenous stakeholders to see if there are any other means by which to satisfy the right?
23 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:08:59 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, when does the department intend to advise non-indigenous stakeholders of the amount of access being sought in the latest round of negotiations?
25 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:09:15 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, I mean all negotiations. In terms of corporate foreign ownership, I have been here a lot talking about sharing risks and benefits, and the report from FOPO, which we are still waiting for action from the government on. Does the minister believe that our harvesters and coastal communities should be the primary beneficiaries of Canadian fisheries?
58 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:10:09 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, I think it is clear in the report that they do not want any more transfers of foreign ownership and they want to know who the beneficial owners are. Does the minister agree that we should have limits on corporate foreign ownership of our fisheries?
47 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/31/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/31/22 12:10:33 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Chair, in the confidence and supply agreement with the NDP, it was outlined that beneficial ownership would be a key priority. Will that apply to fisheries and oceans?
29 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border