Parliamentary Speeches

Statements By Members

Mr. Speaker, our government believes that investments in education and investments in Canada's future are one and the same. That is why we are proud to have recently made a $20-million investment in Cape Breton University's new Centre for Discovery and lnnovation. This facility, in the heart of Cape Breton—Canso, will deliver on Canada's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while welco…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, in fact, if we look across the country, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has put a special emphasis on working with coastal communities and looking at a rural development strategy plan. Whether it is focusing on small craft harbours, working on indigenous knowledge, or working with fishers to put in place programs that help fishers, help communities and help generate community w…

Statements By Members

Mr. Speaker, each year, my constituents Mike and Nicole MacArthur prepare for Caleb's Courage Superhero Walk, Run, and Fly. It is a community fun run in honour of their late son Caleb, who bravely battled cancer until he passed away in 2015 at the age of four. Notwithstanding that, Caleb's life will always be defined by his long-lasting impact. The Caleb's Courage movement has raised more than $75…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I enjoy sitting on committee with the member opposite. I think it is important to remember that there was a time when the Conservative Party was in power and it muzzled scientists, cut DFO jobs and did not give two hoots about anything related to keeping jobs in the community. When it comes to fishing and fishing communities, we have invested through the fish harvester benefit and we …

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, as the member of Parliament for Cape Breton—Canso, I rise today to pay tribute to Leon Dubinsky, an extraordinary Cape Bretoner who we lost just a few weeks ago. Leon Dubinsky was a pillar in the realm of arts and culture across Cape Breton Island. As an actor, theatre director and composer, he spent his entire life entertaining Canadians, and in particular Atlantic Canadians. Leon is…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, I sit on committee and let me correct the record: That is not what the minister said. Our goal is to grow Canada's fish and seafood sector, and the science has been clear that mackerel stocks are in the critical zone and have been for more than a decade. Without this forage fish, other fish do not survive. That also goes for lobster and crab. We are taking action. We want, on this s…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, saying it twice does not make it more true. The fact of the matter is that we are focused on the stock. We are focused on creating a healthier stock. As I mentioned, the stock has been in the critical zone for the past 10 years. Our focus is on fishers and also on fishers' communities. That is what we are about on this side. We will continue to work with fishing communities and we w…

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to commend several constituents from my riding of Cape Breton—Canso who are truly making a difference for their community this holiday season. For the past 15 years, Inspector Billy Turner, Sergeant John Anthony and Constable Marvin MacDonald of the Cape Breton Regional Police Service have volunteered their time toward the department’s “Shop of the Class” ini…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, as the Pacific salmon strategy initiative’s, or PSSI’s, financial reporting aligns with broader departmental financial reporting requirements, the total amount of funding spent to date is categorized by vote. Vote 1 covers salaries and wages, operations and maintenance; vote 5 covers capital expenditures; and vote 10 covers grants and contributions. The total expenditures for PSSI acr…

Adjournment Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, it is good to have a chance to debate the hon. member opposite. We want to unpack a couple of things in the member's questions in relation to what we saw last winter. This past winter we saw a state of emergency declared in Ottawa with protesters blocking key infrastructure and harassing and intimidating citizens. We also saw interference with transportation and other critical infrast…

Adjournment Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, as mentioned, given the unprecedented threats that the wild Pacific salmon are facing, we agree that we must take action to conserve and protect them. That is why the government, through the minister's mandate letter, is developing a planned transition for open-net pen salmon aquaculture in coastal waters. We will continue to engage, as I said in my previous statement, with all of the…

Adjournment Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, on July 29, 2022, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard released a discussion framework that outlines the proposed vision for open-net pen transition in B.C. in a manner that progressively minimizes or eliminates interactions between salmon open-net pens and wild salmon, while also taking into account social, cultural and economic objectives. The proposed fram…

Adjournment Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite and I sit on the fisheries committee together and I have a great deal of respect for her and her work. We recognize that wild Pacific salmon are of great importance to the communities in British Columbia both culturally and economically, and that wild Pacific salmon are facing historic threats from a variety of stressors. It is therefore a priority of the Governmen…

Adjournment Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I do believe that the process is doing what it is supposed to do, in terms of providing Canadians an oversight and overview of what transpired. I would respectfully disagree with the member opposite. Last winter, as I mentioned in my statement, participants in illegal blockades and protests adopted a number of threatening acts, disrupting the peace and impacting the Canadian economy. …

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, local businesses are the heart of our communities in Cape Breton—Canso. Freeman's Pharmacy, nestled in the small community of Inverness, is no exception. Recently, the people of Freeman's Pharmacy went far above and beyond in their efforts to give back to their community. They did so in the form of a $75,000 donation to the local Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital. This incredib…

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, November is Diabetes Awareness Month, a time for us to reflect upon the struggles of our fellow Canadians who live every day with the disease. There are over three million people living with diabetes in this country, which is why I am proud to be part of a government that introduced our nation's first-ever framework for diabetes just last month. Steps such as these will hopefully go a…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, as the member knows, Canada has a world-class lobster fishery with lobster that is sought across the globe. It is an industry that is important for Canada's economy, and that is thanks to our amazing harvesters and coastal communities. I will say this about mackerel. All of our decisions are based on a couple of factors. One is science. Another is the ability to work with our harves…

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, access to safe and secure telecommunications infrastructure is essential to the residents of Cape Breton—Canso, as well as all rural communities from coast to coast to coast. It gives them the ability to go to work, go to school, connect with loved ones and so much more. The recent telecom outages across Cape Breton—Canso following hurricane Fiona were unacceptable, as they prevented …

Statements By Members

Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today to recognize my constituents of Judique, Nova Scotia, who have recently been awarded the Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor's Community Spirit Award. The Lieutenant Governor's Community Spirit Award celebrates the power, strength and diversity of vibrant communities across Nova Scotia. With that, it is clear to me why Judique was considered for this prestigiou…

Statements by Members

Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today to commend the generosity and hard work of my constituents of Cape Breton—Canso following the devastating impacts of hurricane Fiona. Over the last 10 days, I have had the opportunity to visit organizations, community groups, the Canadian Armed Forces and first responders who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. In Reserve Mines, the local seniors a…

Emergency Debate

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to serve on the fisheries committee with the member opposite. I will say that we have made some substantial investments in small craft harbours, because they are the economic hubs of Atlantic Canada. In terms of damage to and repair of small craft harbours, it is up to us to collectively work together. It is up to this government to make investments where they are nec…

Emergency Debate

Mr. Speaker, quite frankly, it is around helping to restore power and with respect to that, as well as clearing trees, lights and other debris from homes and businesses. We are looking forward to CAF members' presence here, and as the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence have said, they will be here until the job gets done.

Emergency Debate

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Sydney—Victoria. I rise this evening to share with the House and all Canadians the brutal and devastating impacts of hurricane Fiona. For many and, in particular, my own constituents in Cape Breton—Canso, my neighbours, family and friends, this represents an unprecedented moment in the lives of all the residents in my riding. It clearly …

Emergency Debate

Mr. Speaker, the fund the member speaks of helps a tremendous number of groups, communities and municipalities, but what we need to do is act collectively. This is another important moment in time where we look at the fact that this is not just a once-in-a-blue-moon storm. These storms are happening on the east coast on a regular basis. Maybe it was not as strong as Fiona, but five years ago we ha…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has undertaken work to understand the extent of foreign ownership in Canada’s commercial fishing industry though the completion of the beneficial ownership survey and has released a comparative analysis of east and west coast fishery policies. A study, the licence and quota registry proposal, has been conducted to examine the technical feasibility of develo…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to growing Canada’s fish and seafood sector, and we know that seals eat fish. We established the Atlantic seal science task team to bridge the gap between our existing science, and what harvesters were seeing out on the water. This fall, Fisheries and Oceans Canada will be hosting a Seal Summit as per the task team’s recommendations, which will bring scient…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), the Eastern Canyons Marine Refuge, ECMR, is unique in that it hosts one of the largest known aggregations of large gorgonian cold-water corals in Atlantic Canada, as well as a series of adjacent submarine canyons that connect the shallow waters of the continental shelf to the deep waters of the abyssal plain. The ECMR also hosts the only known living Lophelia pertu…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is committed to expanding access to rights-based fisheries for the 35 treaty nations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and the Gaspé Peninsula for the purpose of pursuing a moderate livelihood. One of the key principles of the further implementation of the right to fish for a moderate livelihood is that fishing effort will not increase. This…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), there were a total of 65 employees at the director general level or higher as of June 14, 2022. With regard to (b), of the employees in (a), 20 employees have a science degree and 12 of them have an educational background in biology. Additionally, 2009 employees across DFO occupy a science-related position in biological sciences, chemistry, scientific research and …

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is using this funding primarily to support indigenous engagement on the development of a net pen transition plan. This funding is for the current fiscal year, 2022-23. A call for applications for capacity funding was sent to all first nations in British Columbia on May 16, 2022. This application process was launched in advance of the upcoming engagement pro…

Madam Speaker, like my colleagues in the House, it is with an extremely heavy heart that I rise today to commemorate Her Majesty the Queen, Queen Elizabeth II. When the news broke of Her Majesty's passing, I was in the middle of a five-hour drive to meet Atlantic colleagues, and I spent the remainder of the drive reflecting on the role Queen Elizabeth II played in our country, the Commonwealth and…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, Fisheries and Oceans Canada does not centrally track the execution of public-facing contests across the department, and the time allocated to answer this question does not allow for the preparation of a comprehensive response.

Private Members’ Business

Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise in the House today to support my colleague, the hon. member for Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, and her Bill C-224, an act to establish a national framework for the prevention and treatment of cancers linked to firefighting. I am equally proud tonight of all members in the House for their speeches and for sharing their personal experiences. It shows how important this …

Statements By Members

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to commemorate William Davis Miners' Memorial Day, which is observed every year on June 11 in mining communities across Nova Scotia. In the spring of 1925, coal miners in Cape Breton went on strike to protest poor working conditions and wages. In response to that strike, the community's access to food, water and electricity was cut off by the company of the d…

Adjournment Proceedings

Madam Speaker, the government is committed to preserving our freshwater resources and protecting the Great Lakes from invasive species. The Great Lakes are important to the environment, the economy and the health and well-being of both Canada and the United States. It is for this reason that for 60 over years, Canada, in close partnership with the United States, has directly supported the work of …

Adjournment Proceedings

Madam Speaker, I wish the member a happy 60th, and I am glad to celebrate it with him at this time. Speaking of 60 years, as I said earlier, for over 60 years Canada has had an amazing and close partnership with the United States, and we have shown a commitment to the preservation of the Great Lakes through the work of this commission. Again, the efforts of the commission are vital to controlling …

Private Members' Business

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to debate private member's Bill C-251, an act respecting the development of a federal framework on the conservation of fish stocks and management of pinnipeds. Let me start by saying that I appreciate the passion of the member for Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame on the issue of seal predation. It is something that almost all of us from Atlantic Canad…

Private Members' Business

Madam Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak today to Bill C-246. I would like to draw attention to the introduction of Bill C-14 and note my support of the government's proposal to update the grandfather clause in the seat allocation formula. This will ensure that no province will ever have fewer seats in the House of Commons than it did in 2021. This updated clause speaks to the hea…

Government Orders

Mr. Chair, I will be sharing my time with the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands. Small craft harbours is a key Fisheries and Oceans Canada program and one that is important for Canada's economy because it provides critical support to the commercial fishing industry, which has annual landings valued at more than $3.5 billion. Our government has provided the program with important resources to help me…

Government Orders

Madam Chair, I spoke of the Atlantic coast and I spoke, in the last question, of coast to coast to coast, but I would like to speak a little bit about, and the question will be on, the Great Lakes. Among my colleagues in the House and at committee, I've been reminded and actually learned a lot about the importance of the Great Lakes and, more specifically, the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission. As …

Government Orders

Madam Chair, it is great to be here in the committee of the whole. Fishing is the lifeblood of our rural coastal communities from coast to coast to coast. It is the main driver of local economies. Whether it is bait, gear or simply grabbing a coffee on the way to wharf, it drives jobs directly and indirectly. I have been on the wharves in every area of my riding of Cape Breton—Canso, chatting with…

Statements by Members

Madam Speaker, yesterday and today, Cape Breton University hosted their spring convocation ceremonies, celebrating the class of 2022. As a CBU graduate myself, I welcome the new class to the Cape Breton University alumni family. I have no doubt that this is just the beginning of a long road of success, happiness and well-being for each of them. On behalf of all members in the House, I would like t…

Statements by Members

Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today to congratulate both the Cape Breton Music Industry Cooperative and the Nova Scotia Community College for launching the first annual Cape Breton Music Industry Hall of Fame induction gala, which will occur in the spring of 2023. I would like to take this moment to congratulate the 2023 inductees, who, as a point of pride, all hail from my riding of Cape Bre…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, in 2021, as part of immediate conservation measures under the Pacific salmon strategy initiative, the minister announced commercial fishery closures to protect stocks of conservation concern. For 59 fisheries, the pre-season forecast or outlook indicated that salmon returns were not likely to be strong enough to provide a commercial fishery opportunity in 2021, based on decision rules…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a proud supporter of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, or the Ocean Decade. The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard is a member of the Ocean Decade Alliance, a global network of leaders to inspire and stimulate action. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, DFO, has established a dedicated Ocean Decade office to convene the …

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, the sustainable management of our oceans' ecosystems, including that of the wild Pacific salmon, is a priority for our government. The decision to phase out fish farms in the Discovery Islands was based on consultations with local first nations. We are aware of the court decision, and the department is carefully reviewing it ahead of determining next steps. We remain committed to tr…

Statements By Members

Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today to offer my sincerest congratulations to We'koqma'q First Nation Chief Annie Bernard-Daisley on being recognized with a place on the Riva Spatz Women’s Wall of Honour. Chief Annie has been the chief since 2020. She was elected by her community as chief after serving as a councillor for three consecutive terms. Prior to her term as chief, she served as the f…

Private Members' Business

Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure working with the member opposite on the fisheries committee, and I enjoy our conversations outside of committee. The bill calls for a yearly census to be conducted on pinnipeds. Would the member agree that the increased spending this bill requires for conducting that census would be important?

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to commend the resilience of my constituent Dena Edwards. Dena was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer just days after her daughter's second birthday in the fall of 2021. This type of cancer is called mucinous ovarian cancer and is also known as a silent killer. While battling the cancer in her own body, Dena picked up the fight for other women. With…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, in response to part (a), as of March 15, 2022, the Atlantic seal science task team has met 15 times since it was convened in 2020. In response to part (b), as of March 15, 2022, the Atlantic seal science task team met in 2020 on April 23, June 25, July 23 and October 15; in 2021 on February 23, March 12, April 15, May 11, July 15, October 12, November 12 and November 30; and in 2022 o…