Introduction

Canada’s fisheries, oceans, and waterways have long played an important role in Canada’s development and growth as a nation. They are central elements of the historical, economic, and cultural fabric of Canada’s coastal communities, providing a strong and reliable resource base around which Canada’s national economy and sense of nationhood continue to grow.

DFO’s commitment to these elements has been reflected in a number of initiatives in 2006. For example, DFO contributed to conserving and protecting fish stocks by adding 20 new fishery officer recruits (three in Prince Edward Island, three in New Brunswick, and 14 in Newfoundland and Labrador) and by increasing the number of fishery officers patrolling British Columbia’s waterways from 162 to 176.

The Department also announced in 2006 a new three-year pilot plan for the integration of commercial groundfish fisheries that promotes the conservation and sustainability of groundfish stocks. This pilot plan follows the principles of Pacific Fisheries Reform announced in 2005. These principles include sustaining strong fish populations, strengthening DFO programs, making progress on increasing First Nations access to economic fisheries, and improving economic performance of fisheries. The pilot plan will also assist in supporting the Species at Risk Act, gaining a better understanding of complex ecosystems required under the Oceans Act, and achieve sustainable fisheries.

A multi-year Atlantic Seal Management Plan was also announced in 2006. DFO will continue to use Objective-Based Fisheries Management and the precautionary approach to manage the seal hunt. The Objective-Based Fisheries Management model uses control rules and reference points to trigger management measures for a fishery. It facilitates a market-driven hunt that enables sealers to maximize their benefits without compromising conservation. These management approaches demonstrate Canada’s commitment to the conservation and sustainability of the seal hunt.

Moreover, 2006 was an important year in terms of international management of fisheries. In the following pages, you will find text boxes that provide further details on the most recent developments with the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) and the High Seas Task Force (HSTF).

Mandate

On behalf of the Government of Canada, DFO is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs that support Canada’s scientific, ecological, social, and economic interests in oceans and fresh waters. As a department committed to sustainable development, DFO works to protect and conserve Canada’s aquatic resources, while supporting the development and use of these resources. Sustainable development is the lens through which DFO undertakes its business.

DFO is a national and international leader in marine safety, and in managing of oceans and freshwater resources. Departmental programs and presence on Canadian waters help to ensure the safe movement of people and goods. Through the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) fleet, the Department plays a key role as the provider of on-water support to numerous government departments and is responsible for environmental-response activities.

The Department’s guiding legislation includes the Oceans Act, which charges the Minister with leading oceans management and providing coast guard and hydrographic services on behalf of the Government of Canada, and the Fisheries Act, which makes the Minister responsible for managing fisheries, including the management of the impacts of aquaculture, fisheries and fish habitat. The Department is also one of the three responsible authorities under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).

Vision

Excellence in service to Canadians to ensure the sustainable development and safe use of Canadian waters.

Definition of sustainable development Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Internationally, the best known and accepted definition of sustainable development and the one DFO recognizes and adheres to comes from the 1987 Brundtland Commission Report Our Common Future. The principles of sustainable development maintain that social, economic and environmental issues are interconnected and must be integrated into the decision making process. Decisions based on sustainable development help Canadians achieve a healthy environment, a prosperous economy and a vibrant society for current and future generations.

Integrating Sustainable Development Principles

As the Government of Canada is committed to integrating sustainable development principles in its business, federal guidelines were recently developed to help ensure coordination in this fourth round of departmental strategies.

These guidelines identify six priorities:

• clean air;
• clean water;
• climate change;
• sustainable communities;
• sustainable development and use of natural resources; and
• governance for sustainable development (see Annex 1 for more details).

The SDS for DFO is consistent with these federal guidelines but focuses primarily on the priorities highlighted in bold. Throughout the Action Plan, you will find references and linkages to the federal priorities and commitments.

Sustainable development is central to DFO’s vision and priorities and the SDS constitutes a core element of departmental planning. It outlines objectives and commitments for incorporating sustainable development into daily work, while offering DFO employees a practical working document that will help them attain the results the Department has committed to achieving as part of its regulatory, operational, and natural-resource management roles.

DFO’s SDS approach shows consistency and integration with other corporate planning documents, presents a select number of national initiatives, complemented by tangible regional case studies, and strikes a balance between visionary goals and achievability.

In the interest of greater integration, DFO based the 2007–2009 SDS Action Plan on the three departmental outcomes used in the corporate planning framework and the current departmental strategic plan:

1. Safe and accessible waterways (SAW)
2. Healthy and productive aquatic ecosystems (HAPAE)
3. Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture (SFA)

   DFO is the custodian of a significant number of office and special-purpose buildings such as CCG bases, light stations, small craft harbours, laboratories, and a large fleet of various vessels and vehicles. The use of these assets has a direct and significant impact on the environment. For the purpose of the SDS, DFO has added a fourth goal specific to corporate operations and culture and focused on the need to raise awareness and to manage the impacts of departmental operations on the environment.

4.  Environmentally sustainable operations and management

The following pages present the main activities and expected outcomes developed to help the Department advance on the four SDS goals over the next three years. As the Action Plan demonstrates, DFO has made efforts to identify clearer linkages between the activities, outcomes and goals. Additional information concerning the methodology and the logic model for the SDS can be found in Annex 1.