Martin says feds failing on fisheries
Email
Print
Letter to Editor
Share
Who should be looking after our oceans?
On October 7, during Question Period in the House of Commons, Dr. Keith Martin, MP for Esquimalt - Juan de Fuca asked why the government was not responding to the requests from British Columbians for an urgent, independent, scientific investigation into the collapse of the Fraser River sockeye run.
Dr. Martin also criticized the government for failing to establish marine protected areas in order to conserve critical marine habitats. This is crucial to the sustainability of our salmon stocks and indeed all ocean life. Canada only protects 0.5 per cent of its marine ecosystems even though we made a commitment to protect more that 20 per cent of these habitats by 2012. Despite having the world’s longest coastline, we have one of the world’s worst records in marine protection.
The full transcript is below:
Hon. Keith Martin (Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, let us look at the government’s mismanagement on the other coast.
In British Columbia, we are witnessing one of the worst fishing crises since the Atlantic cod stocks collapsed in the 1990s. Eleven million sockeye were supposed to return to the Fraser. Less than two million did.
British Columbians are asking this one simple question. Why is the minister refusing to urgently convene an independent scientific assessment on why these sockeye failed to return?
Hon. Gail Shea (Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, CPC): Mr. Speaker, if it is urgent I would ask the hon. member why it is the first time he has raised the issue in the House.
I would also like to say that I have talked to many, many British Columbians. I have heard requests for a summit on salmon. I have also heard requests for other measures to address the issue of the low sockeye returns.
Planning is currently under way, as I have said, and government’s response is forthcoming. This is a very serious matter and it warrants a very serious response.
Hon. Keith Martin (Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, for the record, I personally called the minister when she was in Victoria and she failed to respond to our phone calls.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
The Speaker: Order, order. The hon. member for Esquimalt--Juan de Fuca has the floor. Obviously with all this yelling it is going to be very difficult for the minister to hear the question.
The hon. member for Esquimalt--Juan de Fuca.
Hon. Keith Martin: Mr. Speaker, fish stocks cannot be rehabilitated unless their habitats are protected. Canada committed to 25 per cent protection of our marine-protected areas, yet a measly 0.5 per cent is protected right now.
I have another question.
When will the fisheries minister implement a plan to expand our marine protected areas in British Columbia to safeguard our crucial marine ecosystem?
Hon. Gail Shea (Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I can tell the hon. member in this House that since 2006, our government has invested $61.4 million in the health of the oceans, government-wide.
Additionally, we have invested $170 million over five years to the Pacific commercial integrated fisheries initiative. We have initiated a climate change science initiative by reallocating $400,000 per year to study the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification.
We are looking after the oceans.
v2
