Leblanc to make announcement on the Fisheries Act

should we all take a guess?
 
“The Fisheries Act could also be used to further the Liberal government's broader goal of reconciliation with Indigenous people.

Canada's failure to fully integrate First Nations into the fishery has long been a source of frustration for Indigenous leaders.“

Seriously??:eek:
From the sound of it, we sporties shouldn’t hold our hopes too high for this announcement.
 
News Release
From Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Ottawa, Ontario– From coast to coast to coast, Canadians have signaled their strong passion for protecting the fish and fish habitat that play such a vital role in our environment, our communities and our livelihoods. Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard announced amendments to the Fisheries Act that would restore lost protections and incorporate modern safeguards to protect our fish and their habitat for generations to come.

The Government of Canada is putting in place better rules to protect our environment. The proposed amendments introduced today would restore the protections to all fish and fish habitats that were lost with changes that were made in 2012. Proposed changes would also put in place new modern safeguards to help our communities by better managing projects, enhancing marine protection and allowing the sustainable use of our resources while protecting them for our future.

The government will invest up to $284.2 million to support restoring lost protections to fish and incorporating modern safeguards.

As part of the Government of Canada’s Review of Environmental and Regulatory Processes, the Government of Canada is restoring protections and rebuilding trust. Fisheries and Oceans Canada consulted broadly, hearing from thousands of Canadians, to ensure changes to the Act focus on the areas that matter most to Canadians. The new Fisheries Act reflects what we heard from two rounds of online public consultations, over a hundred meetings with partners, stakeholders and Indigenous groups, and recommendations from the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.


Quotes
“To preserve, protect and help restore our environment we need a Fisheries Act that Canadians can trust.Today, I am pleased we are introducing amendments to the Fisheries Act that will restore the protections for fish and fish habitat that were lost under the previous government. We are responding to calls from Canadians who told us clearly that the health of our fish and ecosystems is important to them, and that they want us to protect and rebuild fish habitat. By restoring lost protections and incorporating modern safeguards, we are creating a Fisheries Act for the future to preserve our precious resources for generations to come.”

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., Q.C., M.P., Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

Quick Facts
  • The proposed amendments would:

  • restore lost protections by returning to comprehensive protection against harming all fish and fish habitat;

  • strengthen the role of Indigenous peoples in project reviews, monitoring and policy development;

  • recognize that decisions can be guided by principles of sustainability, precaution and ecosystem management;

  • promote restoration of degraded habitat and rebuilding of depleted fish stocks;

  • allow for the better management of large and small projects impacting fish and fish habitat through a new permitting framework and codes of practice;

  • create full transparency for projects with a public registry;

  • create new fisheries management tools to enhance the protection of fish and ecosystems;

  • strengthen the long-term protection of marine refuges for biodiversity;

  • help ensure that the economic benefits of fishing remain with the licence holders and their community by providing clear ability to enshrine current inshore fisheries policies into regulations; and

  • clarify and modernize enforcement powers to address emerging fisheries issues and to align with current provisions in other legislation.


    He also said he's been communicating with Bruce Cohen (Cohen Commission) and said the report is a cornerstone piece in this legislation and restoring wild pacific salmon stocks.

    Overall it will take time, but I think this is a good step towards helping our fisheries.
 
So my question is does it deal with the "slipper skipper" issue we have on the BC coast with halibut quota owners (like Jimmy Pattison, etc.) not fishing their quota themselves but leasing out for others to fish?
 
http://www.cbncompass.ca/news/minister-announces-changes-to-federal-fisheries-act-183733/

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/fed...-set-to-expand-with-new-legislation-1.3791370

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/campaign-c...-loi-sur-les-peches/proposed-propose-eng.html

looks like they may be be taking over steelhead. will see tho how that one shapes up

Before changes:

"protection for commercial, recreational or aboriginal fishers"

After changes:

"Protection for all fish and fish habitat"

Overall great changes coming, long over due after Harper decimated it in 2012.
 
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The owner/operator policy if applied to west coast would be great as that'd end slipper skippers and potentially transfer over a lot of that quota to us (hopefully)
 
FFAW, FISH-NL at odds over what Fisheries Act amendments will mean for N.L.'s inshore fishery
Glen Whiffen (glen.whiffen@thetelegram.com)
Published: 16 hours ago
Updated: 8 hours ago
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Federal Fisheries Minister, Dominic LeBlanc. - Canadian Press
The federal Liberal Government said Tuesday it is restoring protections for the fishing industry that were taken away by the former Conservative government in 2012.

And, in making the announcement, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc said there is more good news for the country’s fishing industry.

The minister announced $284.2 million to support the restoration of protections to fish and fish habitats and to incorporate new modern safeguards in the industry.

“To preserve, protect and help restore our environment we need a Fisheries Act that Canadians can trust,” LeBlanc stated at a news conference in Vancouver.

“I am pleased we are introducing amendments to the Fisheries Act that will restore the protections for fish and fish habitat that were lost under the previous government. We are responding to calls from Canadians who told us clearly that the health of our fish and ecosystems is important to them, and that they want us to protect and rebuild fish habitat.

“By restoring lost protections and incorporating modern safeguards, we are creating a Fisheries Act for the future to preserve our precious resources for generations to come.”

Keith Sullivan, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW-Unifor) union, was quick to claim victory, saying the changes come after years of advocating changes to legislation.

“We have worked closely with our fellow harvester organizations in Atlantic Canada to present a clear argument for greater and better enforced protections for independent fish harvesters,” Sullivan said. “(Tuesday’s) announcement is proof that our efforts are worthwhile.“

The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL), however, says LeBlanc failed to include the principles of adjacency and historical attachment in the amendments to ensure inshore harvesters have priority access to fish off their shores.

FISH-NL president Ryan Cleary called it “a grave injustice.”

“It’s one thing for (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s) government to move to protect the independent commercial fishery, but that’s useless unless harvesters have fish to catch,” Cleary said.

“Harvesters living adjacent to the resource and with a historical attachment must be given priority access to the resource, and the changes to the Fisheries Act do not reflect that.”

According to a news release, the proposed amendments LeBlanc announced are expected to: restore lost protections by returning to comprehensive protection against harming all fish and fish habitat; strengthen the role of Indigenous peoples in project reviews, monitoring and policy development; recognize that decisions can be guided by principles of sustainability, precaution and ecosystem management; promote restoration of degraded habitat and rebuilding of depleted fish stocks; allow for the better management of large and small projects impacting fish and fish habitat through a new permitting framework and codes of practice; create full transparency for projects with a public registry; create new fisheries management tools to enhance the protection of fish and ecosystems; strengthen the long-term protection of marine refuges for biodiversity; help ensure the economic benefits of fishing remain with the licence holders and their community by providing clear ability to enshrine current inshore fisheries policies into regulations; and clarify and modernize enforcement powers to address emerging fisheries issues and to align with current provisions in other legislation.

Sullivan said the amendments will provide legal protection to the owner-operator and fleet separation policies which protect the independence of the inshore fishery and the coastal communities that rely on it.

“The capacity of the minister to make fishery decisions to protect the economic independence and sustainability of inshore harvesters and coastal communities has been repeatedly challenged by the corporate interests in the fishery,” Sullivan said. “The proposed amendments to the Fisheries Act remove any ambiguity, clearly stating that the minister may make decisions to protect independent inshore licence holders and the communities that rely upon them.”

Cleary said FISH-NL wrote to Trudeau’s office last October requesting that all current quota allocations and management practices be reviewed to ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador inshore harvesters benefit from the adjacency principle adopted by the Liberal Party of Canada in 2016.

Similar to the principles of the Atlantic Accord with the offshore oil and gas industry, FISH-NL has taken the stand that Newfoundland and Labrador must be the “principle beneficiary” of all fish resources adjacent to the province’s shores, Cleary stated.
 
The biggest leasor on the coast is the Canadian government. They have bought 20 % of the quota for FN but most FN don’t fish and it is leased back. Jimmy has never owned very much halibut quota. Salmon and herring yes but not so much hali.
Does anyone know the numbers on what % of commie quota is owner operator and what percentage is leased ?
 
The biggest leasor on the coast is the Canadian government. They have bought 20 % of the quota for FN but most FN don’t fish and it is leased back. Jimmy has never owned very much halibut quota. Salmon and herring yes but not so much hali.
Any documented numbers for public review or just word of mouth?
 
Any documented numbers for public review or just word of mouth?
Look it up online. There is a list of all license holders and the percentage of tac. Not sure if picfi shows up there but government has said 30% is the goal.
 
Here is an article:

http://www.trailtimes.ca/news/how-f...237219321&mc_cid=dd8540c5ef&mc_eid=5dccddbdcd

One line that I was wondering about, “The changes would “ensure that only the licence holder personally fishes using that licence,” DFO states on its website. Currently, the owner-operator policy applies to Atlantic Canada and Quebec.”
Does that mean as of right now owner operator is in place in Atlantic Canada and Quebec meaning the only reason Leblanc would mention this is for the west coast ?!
 
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