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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 77

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 30, 2022 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 7:26:04 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, this member should know that this place is the federal Parliament for the country and not the provincial parliament for Ontario, so I think—
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer (Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, CPC)
  • May/30/22 9:26:48 p.m.
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Madam Chair, icebreaker and offshore patrol ship delays are causing massive increases in costs and threaten our Arctic sovereignty and security, putting all Canadians at risk. The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates that the polar icebreakers announced by the government would cost $7.25 billion, or over $3.6 billion each. In 2013, the estimated cost for one heavy icebreaker was only $1.3 billion. Continued delays by your government are costing taxpayers billions. What date have you been given for when these heavy icebreakers will be added to our Coast Guard fleet?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:27:54 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the minister is actually announcing the previous Conservative strategy around shipbuilding, so I thank her for that plug. An Order Paper answer delivered by the government stated that the cost of the Coast Guard Arctic and offshore patrol ships would be $750 million per ship. Your colleague, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement said—
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:28:30 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the minister's colleague, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, said that $750 million would be an estimate. Who is telling the truth?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:28:51 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the question for the minister was specific. Irving just testified that the amount would be considerably less than the $750 million, so again, who is telling the truth?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:29:17 p.m.
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Madam Chair, what is taking so long?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:29:42 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I said specifically, “What is taking so long?”
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:29:51 p.m.
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Madam Chair, when will the contracts for the two Arctic and offshore patrol ships for the Coast Guard be signed?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:30:03 p.m.
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Madam Chair, B.C.'s public fishery represents $1.1 billion in revenue and supports 9,000 direct jobs. When I asked the minister in committee if the minister would work with our angling community, she said that she would. She has since broken her promise. Why is she determined to shut our province's fishing communities down with continued unnecessary closures?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:30:49 p.m.
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Madam Chair, who specifically in the fishing community did the minister meet with?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:30:57 p.m.
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Madam Chair, if the minister had actually met with the fishing community, one would think it would be first-hand. It is easy to remember the fishing community. Believe me, I know a lot of them in B.C., and they are certainly unforgettable. A study funded by the minister's own department recently found that the numbers of chinook salmon in the Salish Sea during the summertime are four to six times more abundant for southern resident killer whales than in northern resident whales' feeding grounds. A lack of prey for southern resident killer whales has been used by the minister's predecessor as the reason for shutting down our public fisheries. This has now been clearly debunked. When will the minister's department start making science-based decisions when it comes to keeping our public fishery open?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:32:01 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, the minister's recent decision to reject the sport fishing advisory board's chinook salmon retention proposals is again a broken promise. Why is the minister refusing to work with our public fishery community to ensure science-based decisions are made?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:32:36 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, let me get this straight. You were actually given scientific advice that you could manage—
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:33:32 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, through the Chair, why did the minister reject the sport fishing advisory board's two very modest chinook salmon retention proposals for portions of PFMA 17, 18, 19, southeast Vancouver Island and 28, Howe Sound, for the months of April and May? Why?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:34:10 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, in a letter to the minister dated May 10, the Public Fishery Alliance stated, “We have never before experienced this level of Departmental inertia and unwillingness to resolve fundamentally basic fisheries management issues.” What is the minister doing to address this?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:34:42 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, for years I have heard from our public fishery experts in British Columbia, who say their efforts to consult with DFO and provide reasonable solutions for the fishery are being stonewalled by Pacific regional director Rebecca Reid and senior staff. Who ultimately makes the decisions for the Pacific region, the minister or Rebecca Reid?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:35:10 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, it seems as though the minister's staff are the ones who are running the show at DFO. At the same time that the minister told me personally that she was considering proposals, the DFO salmon team openly stated they would not discuss any proposals from the sport fishing advisory board related to chinook retention in April and May of 2022. Again, who is in charge of DFO, the minister or Rebecca Reid?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:35:56 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, with respect, that is exactly the minister's job. It is to manage the fishery, and she simply is not doing that. In July 2020, the minister's predecessor, Minister Jordan, committed Canada to the United Kingdom's global ocean alliance agenda to zone 30% of Canada's coastal waters as “protected” by 2030. This is in addition to the existing government commitment to zone 25% of Canada's waters by 2025 and the extension into terrestrial public lands. The proponents of this European agenda advocate elimination of all extractive use of these regions, including recreational and commercial fishing. What is the minister's plan to conduct a transparent science-based process that includes regional and national stakeholder interests before declaring vast areas of public waters off limits to public access?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:37:16 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, what specific actions is the minister's department taking right now to implement the Cohen commission recommendation number 30 for a mark selective fishery?
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Context: House Hansard - 77 - May/30/22
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • May/30/22 9:37:42 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, for more than one and a half decades the public fishing community, especially in B.C. and especially in the lower Fraser, has been advocating selective sport fishing regulations that would allow recreational fishing that was selective for certain types of salmon while avoiding endangered salmon and sturgeon. The technique is known as bar rigs, which has been known to be highly selective. Under the federal Fisheries Act, the 1996 British Columbia sport fishing regulation 137 has amendments for such things as herring jigging and sturgeon gear, but it requires an amendment that would allow selective salmon fishing. Will the minister work with the British Columbia sport fishing community to amend the British Columbia sport fishing regulations so that Canadians can enjoy this important family activity and support the key economic sport fishing sector, at the same time as protecting stocks of concern?
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