Supplementary Information Tables

Response to Parliamentary Committees and External Audits

Response to Parliamentary Committees

Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans - Report 14 - Healthy Oceans, Vibrant Coastal Communities: Strengthening The Oceans Act’s Marine Protected Areas Establishment Process

Presented to the House: June 11, 2018

Summary
The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (the Committee) undertook a study to examine the criteria and process being used by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to identify and establish Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) under the Oceans Act. The report reflects views and recommendations on a wide range of issues relating to MPA establishment from partners and stakeholders across Canada. The Committee’s report contained 24 recommendations.

Government Response
Presented to the House: October 15, 2018

Corrective Actions Taken to Address Recommendations
Recommendations 4, 6, 7, 8, 15, 16, 18, and 23:

On May 27, 2019 amendments to the Oceans Act were adopted, including the following:

  • A new authority to establish interim protections through a Ministerial Order MPA;
  • Inclusion of precaution, ensuring that a lack of certainty will not be used as a reason to refrain from exercising powers under the Act;
  • Clarity on the Minister’s duties and functions, and the purposes for establishing MPAs;
  • Publication of a report summarizing consultations and the ecological and socio-economic information considered where MPAs through Ministerial Order are established; and
  • Modernized enforcement provisions.

Recommendations 10, 11, 14, 19 and 20:

On April 25, 2019, the Government of Canada responded to recommendations of the National Advisory Panel on MPA Standards. The response included the adoption of new protection standards for all federal MPAs and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), to provide clarity on the protections offered by these measures. In all new federal MPAs, oil and gas exploration and exploitation, mining, dumping, and bottom trawling will be prohibited. OECMs will be assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the Minister is satisfied that the risks to the conservation objectives of the area are avoided or mitigated effectively. Since then, the Department has established Laurentian Channel and Banc-des-Américains MPAs which conform to the new MPA protection standard.

On June 21, 2019 amendments to the Fisheries Act were adopted, including a new authority to create biodiversity protection regulations. Regulations may be applied to marine refuges to ensure the protection of biodiversity in these areas over the long-term.

Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans - Report 16 - Atlantic Canada’s Marine Commercial Vessel Length and Licensing Policies – Working Towards Equitable Policies for Fishers in all of Atlantic Canada

Presented to the House: June 19, 2018

Summary
The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (the Committee) undertook a study to examine commercial fishing vessel length policies as they apply to the Atlantic provinces. Policies specific to the following subjects were studied: commercial fishing vessel extension regulations, offshore / inshore transfer of licences, time frame for operator transfers, and combining quotas / commercial fishing vessel capacity. The Committee’s report contained eight recommendations.

Government Response
Presented to the House: October 17, 2018

Corrective Actions Taken to Address Recommendations
Recommendations 3 and 4:

Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Transport Canada developed Terms of Reference to guide the creation of a senior management oversight committee that will serve as the national body to further strengthen the collaboration between the two departments.

Provided the Committee with the oversight committee’s finalized Terms of reference and departmental action plans.

Response to Audits Conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (including Audits Conducted by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)

2018 Spring Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development

Chapter 1—Salmon Farming

The audit’s objective was to determine whether Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) managed risks associated with salmon aquaculture consistent with their respective mandates to protect wild fish. The audit focused on the federal oversight of salmon aquaculture in three provinces: British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador – provinces with the highest salmon aquaculture production. The audit covered the period between June 2015 and October 2017.

The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD) concluded that DFO did not adequately manage the risks associated with salmon aquaculture consistent with its mandate to protect wild fish. Although the Department had some measures to control the spread of infectious diseases and parasites to wild fish in British Columbia, DFO had not made sufficient progress in completing the risk assessments for key diseases that were required to understand the effects of salmon aquaculture on wild fish. The Department also had not defined how it would manage aquaculture in a precautionary manner in the face of scientific uncertainty. Moreover, DFO did not adequately enforce compliance with aquaculture regulations to protect wild fish.

The report noted that CFIA had measures to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious diseases with respect to aquaculture. However, DFO and CFIA had not clarified roles and responsibilities for managing emerging diseases. This lack of clarification created a risk that potential emerging diseases affecting wild salmon would not be adequately addressed.

To address these gaps, the CESD made eight (8) recommendations directed towards DFO in the report:

1.28. DFO should conduct its planned disease risk assessments by 2020 to increase its knowledge of the effects of aquaculture on wild salmon, as it committed to doing in its response to the Cohen Commission report.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO will deliver disease risk assessments, as planned, by the September 2020 deadline specified in the Cohen Commission report. This is an important analysis and initiative that will deliver on aquaculture-related recommendations made by Justice Cohen, and it is aligned with delivering on the Minister’s mandate letter.

1.46. DFO and CFIA should clarify their roles and responsibilities for managing emerging disease risks to mitigate the potential impacts of salmon farming on wild fish.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO will continue to work collaboratively with CFIA, the federal lead for managing diseases of both farmed and wild fish, to clarify roles and responsibilities for managing emerging diseases and agree on the most efficient and effective method for sharing information on fish health. The Department will work with the Agency to establish a formal process to discuss, assess, and share information on emerging diseases of interest to either government entity. This process will help to clarify the government response and framework for the assessment of risk for emerging diseases to mitigate any potential impacts to wild fish. This formal process will be implemented by April 2019.

1.50. DFO should determine and communicate how it applies the precautionary approach to managing aquaculture when there is uncertainty about the effects of aquaculture on wild fish. The Department should also clearly articulate the level of risk to wild fish that it accepts when enabling the aquaculture industry.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO will continue to apply the precautionary approach according to the Government of Canada’s framework on precaution. The Department applies the precautionary approach where appropriate, as a subcomponent within an overall decision-making approach, to deal with risks of serious or irreversible harm even with significant scientific uncertainty. Even when a particular activity is deemed “low” risk, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used to postpone mitigation measures to prevent further potential environmental degradation. The Department will clearly communicate how it applies the precautionary approach to management decisions (for example, on the Department’s website).

To support this, the Department conducts research to characterize how individual species, populations, and communities respond to a range of stressors, including aquaculture. This research informs management decision-making concerning establishment or refinement of thresholds to protect at-risk ecosystem functions and valued components.

The Department will further explore options, building on best practices in the current pathway of effects framework, to more clearly articulate, by March 2019, how precaution and the application of risk assessments inform departmental decision-making.

1.61. DFO should establish thresholds for the deposit of drugs and pesticides into net pens to more effectively minimize harm to wild fish.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO will undertake further analysis and continue to work with its provincial and territorial partners, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Health Canada to improve the protections provided by the Aquaculture Activities Regulations.

The ongoing interdepartmental science review will provide advice on options for post-deposit monitoring of drugs and pesticides. This advice will inform planned regulatory changes to the Aquaculture Activities Regulations, beginning in 2020, as well as the need to develop and establish national thresholds.

Further, a “traffic light” decision tree will be developed by March 2020 to help address the potential cumulative impacts on wild fish from the deposit of pesticides and drugs into fish-bearing waters. In partnership with Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, DFO will be in a better position to determine under which oceanographic conditions pesticides should no longer be deposited (“red light”), areas and conditions under which risks are acceptable (“green light”), and areas where the use of such products needs to be more carefully studied and controlled (“yellow light”).

1.63. DFO should develop and implement an approach to validate the accuracy of information that aquaculture companies report regarding their drug and pesticide deposits.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO will perform an analysis and costing exercise by March 2019 to determine options for a risk-based auditing program, which would enable it to effectively validate information provided by aquaculture companies so the Department can confirm the use of drugs and pesticides. These options will be considered in future program redesign.

1.74. DFO should initiate discussions with its counterparts in the Atlantic provinces to address the quality and maintenance of equipment on salmon farms to prevent fish escapes.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO will work with provincial and territorial regulatory partners, as well as international colleagues (for example, Norway), to explore national standards considering current expertise and experience within the aquaculture domain. This type of regulatory work is currently not addressed by existing programs within the Department and will require the development of program capacity in collaboration with provincial and territorial partners.

Through a feasibility study, the Department will initiate federal, provincial, and territorial discussions by December 2019 and study and potentially develop national standards regarding equipment quality and maintenance

1.85. DFO should more effectively enforce aquaculture regulations and pursue additional enforcement measures.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO will conduct an aquaculture-enforcement costing exercise by November 2019 to determine the full operational implications of enforcing aquaculture regulations in Canada.

An internal evaluation in 2015 recommended that the Department examine expected efficiencies associated with an expanded ticketing regime. As a result, an initial phase was approved to take a more consistent approach to minor fisheries offences by the commercial and recreational sectors. Further information on Phase Two of the process can be found on the Department’s website.

The Department is currently working to expand and update its ticketing regime so that aquaculture regulations are addressed.

1.88. DFO should provide timely public reports with detailed information on companies’ drug and pesticide deposits, and on the health of farmed fish in British Columbia.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO will continue to provide compliance information for use in production of the aquaculture compliance index as part of the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators.

In addition, the Department is currently examining options to publicly report information collected as part of the Aquaculture Activities Regulations, including mitigation measures used to reduce the impact on fish and fish habitat. These options will be finalized by June 2018.

2018 Spring Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development

Chapter 3 —Conserving Biodiversity

The audit’s objective was to determine whether Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) provided national leadership and coordination and whether responsible federal departments and agencies were working to meet selected targets to conserve Canada’s biodiversity for present and future generations. The examination work followed up on recommendations from the 2013 Fall Report of the CESD, Chapter 2—Meeting the Goals of the International Convention on Biological Diversity. It also examined whether responsible federal departments and agencies were working to meet selected biodiversity conservation targets. The audited entities included ECCC, DFO, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC), Parks Canada (PCA), and Statistics Canada. The audit covered the period between May 2013 and December 2017.

Overall, the CESD found that ECCC did not provide effective leadership and did not effectively coordinate the actions required to achieve Canada’s 2020 biodiversity targets. The report noted that ECCC focused its leadership efforts on broad administrative activities, such as representing Canada at international meetings, creating national committees, and coordinating national reports. While ECCC worked with federal, provincial, and territorial partners to identify specific actions and initiatives that could support Canada’s biodiversity targets, including DFO, ECCC did not analyze whether these actions and initiatives would be sufficient to achieve the targets. Furthermore, the CESD found that ECCC did not compile comprehensive information to report on performance and progress toward the 2020 biodiversity targets.

To address these gaps, the CESD made four (4) recommendations directed towards ECCC, of which one (1) recommendation was jointly directed towards ECCC, DFO, PCA, and AAFC:

3.87. ECCC, DFO, PCA, and AAFC should identify the improvements and adjustments needed to achieve the 2020 biodiversity targets for which they are responsible.

Management Response: Agreed. As the lead department for Canada’s marine protected area (MPA) network, DFO will continue to work with federal partners to identify opportunities to improve interdepartmental coordination and collaboration on the development and management of MPAs for target 1 (protected areas). To formalize relationships, terms of reference will be established for the Federal Interdepartmental MPA Strategy Director General’s Committee, the Directors General Interdepartmental Committee on Oceans, and the Assistant Deputy Ministers Interdepartmental Committee on Oceans. The implementation date will be March 31, 2018.

Under ECCC’s lead, DFO’s contribution toward meeting target 2 (species at risk) will focus on aquatic species. To improve the percentage of listed aquatic species that show improvement when reported under the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators program, DFO will continue to address any backlogs of outstanding recovery strategies and management plans, as well as action plans and critical habitat orders, for aquatic species listed under the Species at Risk Act. It will also focus on the implementation of recovery actions. The implementation date will be according to ECCC’s lead.

2018 Fall Reports of Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development

Chapter 2 —Protecting Marine Mammals

The audit’s objective was to determine whether DFO, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Parks Canada Agency (PCA), and Transport Canada (TC) had adequately protected marine mammals from the threats posed by marine traffic and commercial fishing. The audit focused on the protection of marine mammals from the threats posed by marine traffic and commercial fishing, including entanglements, bycatch, depletion of food sources, collisions with vessels, oil spills, and chronic underwater noise and disturbance in waters under Canadian jurisdiction. The audit covered the period between January 1, 2012 and June 1, 2018.

Overall, the CESD concluded that DFO, ECCC, TC, and PCA had not fully applied existing policies and tools to proactively manage threats to marine mammals from commercial fishing and marine vessels, such as entanglements, bycatch, depletion of food sources, noise and disturbance, oil spills, and collisions with marine vessels. These policies and tools included recovery strategies and action plans under the Species at Risk Act, guidelines for planning and managing marine protected areas, and integrated fisheries management plans to implement the Policy on Managing Bycatch. We also found that DFO lacked the resources and national guidance to effectively support the partners working to respond to distressed marine mammals.

The report also noted that since 2017—when 12 endangered whales were found dead in Canadian waters—federal organizations have begun to implement a variety of measures and actions aimed at protecting marine mammals by reducing threats from commercial fishing and marine vessels. Although organizations had recently reacted to these threats for three endangered species, they had yet to apply sustained planning and management policies, tools, and measures to reduce threats for all marine mammals.

To address these gaps, the CESD made five (5) recommendations directed towards DFO:

2.27. DFO, working with its partners, should implement the recovery measures identified in its action plans within the established time frames to reduce the threats to endangered and threatened marine mammals posed by commercial fishing and marine traffic. The Department should also report on the effectiveness of these measures five years after the approval of the action plans.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO will work, to the extent feasible, within the confines of partner willingness and available resources to implement the recovery measures identified in species at risk action plans to reduce the threats faced by marine mammals from commercial fishing activities and marine vessels. Efforts will be made to implement actions consistent with time frames established in the action plans. These action plans will be revisited in the event that it is not possible for the Department to implement or commit to the measures.

Reporting on the progress of implementation of recovery actions will occur five years after approval of the action plan as required under the Species at Risk Act. This report will include an evaluation of the effectiveness of the implemented measures toward reducing the threats associated with commercial fishing activities and marine vessels and toward advancing recovery of the populations, where data to support such an evaluation is available. Given the long generation time of most marine mammals and the need for ongoing monitoring and new scientific information to assess effectiveness, demonstrating progress on effectiveness of actions could, in many cases, require time frames longer than five years.

Implementation of many recovery actions is already under way and will continue. DFO will review outstanding recovery measures related to reducing threats to threatened and endangered marine mammals from commercial fishing and marine traffic. The Department will also develop a plan with priorities, targets, and timelines to implement these measures, to the extent possible, working with partners and available resources. A plan will be developed by the end of 2018-19 fiscal year.

Reporting on progress against action plans will be conducted in five-year intervals as required under the Species at Risk Act.

2.42. DFO, PCA, and ECCC, with participation from TC, should work together to: 1) consider and document marine mammal protection when planning and establishing marine protected areas; and 2) develop an approach for reducing threats to marine mammals posed by commercial fishing and marine traffic in marine protected areas, when managing these activities collaboratively.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO is committed to protecting and conserving Canada’s oceans, including significant ecological species such as marine mammals and their habitats. The Department will collaborate on implementing measures to protect marine mammals, including threat reduction through developing networks of marine protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures. These networks will include marine protected areas established under the Oceans Act and marine refuges established under the Fisheries Act, as well as other departments’ conservation tools.

When marine mammals are identified as an ecologically and biologically significant component in areas of interest for proposed designation as an Oceans Act Marine Protected Area, they will be included in the conservation objectives developed for the area of interest. Also, the design of the Oceans Act Marine Protected Area (boundaries and allowed or prohibited activities) will focus on their protection.

Implementation of measures is under way and will continue, to the extent possible, as marine protected areas are identified, established, and managed.

2.56. DFO should implement the Policy on Managing Bycatch and ensure that integrated fisheries management plans include the following: 1) a description of potential interactions with all marine mammals, including but not limited to entanglement, bycatch, and reduced prey availability; 2) specific measures that would reduce potential marine mammal interactions with commercial fishing; 3) measures to be applied in licence conditions to reduce the effects of commercial fishing on marine mammals; and 4) a regular assessment of the effectiveness of implemented measures.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO is committed to protecting and conserving marine mammals in Canadian waters. Building on its existing programs and policies, the Department will continue its work to update integrated fisheries management plans with the appropriate information, such as the specific protection measures including gear modifications, dynamic closures of fishing areas, and mandatory reporting of lost gear. These measures were announced by the Government of Canada in March 2018 and put in place in time for the 2018 fishing season. These measures were also included in 2018 management plans. To support the implementation of Sustainable Fisheries Framework policies, such as the Policy on Managing Bycatch, the government made significant investments in Budget 2017, which are enabling an accelerated pace of implementation.

Implementation began in 2018 and is ongoing.

2.71. DFO, including the Canadian Coast Guard, in collaboration with TC and ECCC, should implement measures that will protect marine mammals from the threats posed by marine vessels. The departments should also periodically evaluate the measures’ effectiveness.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO will continue to work cooperatively with our partners, including Transport Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, to review, assess, and recommend the implementation of measures to address threats posed by marine vessels to marine mammals. DFO plays an important role in the evaluation of measures to determine the sufficiency and efficacy of measures to address threats from marine vessels for the protection of marine mammals. DFO will continue to build on Government of Canada investments in the Oceans Protection Plan, including measures to reduce impacts to marine mammals from marine vessels. The Canadian Coast Guard will continue to work cooperatively within the parameters of its mandate to support measures to address threats from marine vessels for the protection of marine mammals.

Implementation of measures is under way and will continue, to the extent possible, as potential impacts to marine mammals from marine vessels are identified and assessed.

2.82. DFO should: 1) develop a national approach for responding to distressed marine mammals; 2) clarify the roles and responsibilities, including leadership, for delivering the Marine Mammal Response Program; 3) review the current response capacity and training needs in each region; and 4) develop a consistent reporting mechanism.

Management Response: Agreed. While DFO agrees in principle with the recommendation, the recommendation does not fully reflect the significant increases in funding and program modernization, which, as noted in the audit, occurred during the final year of the audit period (that is, up to June 1, 2018). In March 2018, the Government of Canada announced $1 million in annual ongoing funding to support third-party responder groups in doing their critical work. In addition, $4.5 million in separate funds has been set aside over three years to support a new capacity of third-party responder groups to respond to incidents when they occur. This funding will include money for equipment and training for existing and new partners.

Further, through collaboration and consultation with international experts including the Canadian third-party responder groups, a national protocol for response was developed in 2017 with clearly defined roles and responsibilities and reporting requirements. These approaches have been developed in a manner that provides national coherence while recognizing the unique geographic differences on the coasts, the specific entanglement and animal involved, and responder expertise. Implementation of these measures began in 2017 and is well under way.

DFO has also significantly invested in the training of its fishery officers since 2009 in order for them to support experts in a safe and timely manner when responding to marine mammal incidents. Under the Oceans Protection Plan, DFO received an additional $1 million to further train and equip its officers. A training curriculum has been established on the basis of advice received from international experts. Procedures are also in place to guide the officers’ work during operations.

Implementation began prior to June 2018.

2018 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development

Chapter 3 —Departmental Progress in Implementing Sustainable Development Strategies

The audit’s objective was to determine whether the federal departments and agencies we examined had adequately applied the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals and its related guidelines to policy, plan, and program proposals submitted for approval to Cabinet, including the Treasury Board. The audit also sought to determine if the audited entities had adequately met their commitments to strengthening their strategic environmental assessment practices as outlined in their departmental sustainable development strategies, the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, and departmental responses to recommendations from past audits by the CESD.

This audit examined whether DFO and 25 other federal departments and agencies had applied the Cabinet directive and its related guidelines to policy, plan, and program proposals submitted to Cabinet (including the Treasury Board) during the period from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017.

Overall, the report found that the federal organizations had applied the Cabinet directive to 93% of policy, plan, and program proposals submitted to Cabinet in 2017. It was a marked improvement over the findings of the CESD’s previous audits between 2013-2017. The report also noted that the audited entity organizations were working to strengthen their environmental assessment practices. For example, since our initial audits, all organizations had developed or updated their internal guidance and tools to apply the Cabinet directive.

There were no recommendations for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

2018 Fall Reports of the Auditor General of Canada

Chapter 2 —Conserving Federal Heritage Properties

The audit’s objective was to determine whether Parks Canada Agency (PCA), DFO, and National Defence (DND) were working to conserve the heritage value and extend the physical life of federal heritage buildings and national historic sites for the enjoyment of present and future generations of Canadians. The audit focused on national historic sites and heritage buildings, including heritage lighthouses. The audit covered the period between April 1, 2016 and June 30, 2018.

The OAG concluded that PCA, DFO, and DND did not do enough to conserve the physical condition and heritage value of federal heritage properties. The three audited organizations either did not know how many heritage buildings they had or did not know what condition the buildings were in. Also, the heritage property information the organizations provided to Parliament and the public was inaccurate or incomplete. The report noted that designation as a heritage property does not include additional funding for conservation work. As a result, the three organizations prioritized the heritage buildings to conserve on the basis of available resources and operational requirements, rather than heritage considerations. The OAG also found that the number of designated heritage buildings increased, however, because of the lack of additional funding for conservation work, more buildings may fall into disrepair.

To address these gaps, the Auditor General made three (3) recommendations directed towards PCA, which included the following recommendation jointly directed towards DFO and DND:

2.36. PCA, DFO, and DND should update their asset management databases to reflect complete information on the number and current condition of their heritage properties.

Management Response: Agreed. DFO recognizes that its property management database (the Real Property Information Management System) does not consistently identify all heritage assets under one of the three designation methodologies: the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, or the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act.

Given the complexity of the portfolio and resource constraints, the Department was unable to update the background and heritage-related information in the required time. However, we are updating our real property databases in a systematic manner, prioritizing sites that support program requirements.

Following DFO’s successful comprehensive review submission to the Treasury Board, the Department’s Real Property Services has placed a high priority on improving the quality of its real property information. Significant progress has been made to date, including the staffing of additional dedicated information management resources, nationally and regionally, as well as validating and cleansing existing data. The process involves the review of over 6,600 DFO assets. Moving forward, this information will continue to be updated on a cyclical basis.

Implementation is currently under way with completion expected by the end of 2020-21.

Response to Audits Conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

Integrity of the Federal Public Service Staffing System: Results of the System-wide Staffing Audit (December 2018)

This audit represented the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) first comprehensive review of system-wide compliance in staffing. In all, 25 departments and agencies participated in the audit, providing a sample of 386 appointments. There were three objectives for the audit: 1) determine compliance with respect to organizational staffing system requirements; 2) determine compliance with respect to requirements during the appointment process and for appointments; and, 3) gauge stakeholder awareness and understanding of requirements, and of their roles and responsibilities. These objectives were assessed through an audit questionnaire, a review of appointments and appointment processes, and a review of the organizational staffing systems.

In the final report, the PSC found that all 25 organizations, including DFO, were in full compliance with staffing system requirements under the New Direction in Staffing (NDS), and also found higher levels of compliance with respect to appointments. The report concluded that efforts should focus on improving system-wide awareness and understanding of staffing requirements, improved quality control of documents in relation to official languages, and having sufficient documentation to explain appointment decisions.

The PSC identified a number of measures and recommendations to be implemented to address the findings of the audit, including amending the Appointment Delegation and Accountability Instrument (ADAI) to clearly define delegated and sub-delegated authorities, and to refine documentation requirements in the Appointment Policy.

There were no recommendations for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

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