New Fisheries Act Tabled in Parliament

November 29, 2007

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OTTAWA – On Thursday November 29, the Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, introduced in Parliament a new Bill to modernize the 139-year-old Fisheries Act.

Bill C-32 aims to provide a more predictable, stable and transparent fisheries and fish habitat management system where fish harvesters, and others with an interest in the fisheries, can share in the management of this important public resource.

"It is simply not realistic to govern a $12-billion fishing industry any longer with laws that were drafted before British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador or the North were a part of Canada," said Minister Hearn. "In the 21^st century it is not acceptable to have a system that allows politicians to determine who gets what fish without any type of public accountability."

Last December, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-45, a bill to modernize the Fisheries Act. With the prorogation of Parliament on September 14, 2007, Bill C-45 died on the Order Paper.

The Government has received significant input on the bill from fish harvesters, their associations, the fish processing sector, aquaculturists, Aboriginal groups, resource industry, environmental groups and many, many others. The Government has incorporated this feedback, leading to improvements contained in the new Fisheries Modernization Bill C-32.

Broad agreement exists in four key areas. In keeping with the Government’s commitment to engage stakeholders, it amended the bill to:

• affirm that the fisheries are a common property resource;
• require the Minister to first take into account conservation in licencing and allocation decisions and then all other important considerations;
• remove the authority to allocate fish within a Fisheries Management Agreement; and,
• remove language that cast doubt over the issue of licence "transfers" by removing wording that cast doubt on the practice.

"Canadians will have further opportunity to discuss this legislation when it is sent to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans after Second Reading in the House of Commons, and the Government will work collaboratively with the Committee and Canadians to make this the best legislation possible," said Minister Hearn.

Backgrounders:

• New Fisheries Act
• Modernizing The Fisheries Act
• Before and After: What Do The Fisheries Act Changes Mean
• A Modern and Effective Fisheries Management Compliance Regime
• Safeguarding Our Aquatic Ecosystems
• Benefits to Canadians of the Modernized Fisheries Act

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FOR MORE INFORMATION :

Steve Outhouse Director of Communications Office of the Minister Fisheries and Oceans Canada Ottawa 613-992-3474

Phil Jenkins Media Relations Fisheries and Oceans Canada Ottawa 613-990-7537

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