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FOPO Committee Report

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The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans has the honour to present its

THIRD REPORT

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Committee has considered matters relating to Aquatic Invasive Species raised in the Fourth Report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans in the 2nd Session of the 37th Parliament, entitled Aquatic Invasive Species: Uninvited Guests. The Committee is pleased to report as follows:

In 1992, Canada, together with 167 nations, signed on to the Convention on Biological Diversity, recognizing that invasive species were one of the most serious threats to our health and to our ecological, social, and economic well-being. In 1995, the federal government published its biodiversity strategy, honouring the pledge made when it signed on to the convention.

In May 2003, the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans called on the government to take immediate action to counter the threat of alien species in vulnerable Canadian aquatic ecosystems such as the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin. The Committee’s unanimous report entitled Aquatic Invasive Species: Uninvited Guests made 14 recommendations.

The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans responded on behalf of the Government of Canada to the Committee’s Report in October 2003. Although, the Committee stressed the urgency of action on the issues raised in its report, the timeline of the government’s action failed to meet that sense of urgency.

In its response, the government reaffirmed its commitment to conserve and protect aquatic resources, and its recognition that aquatic invasive species constitute a serious threat to those resources. Through a number of measures, including the adoption of a National Plan on Invasive Alien Species, the government maintains that it is addressing the threat of invasive species.

Since the presentation of its report in 2003, the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans held hearings during the 3rd Session of the 37th Parliament on the subject of Aquatic Invasive Species in May 2004, to obtain an update on actions of the Government of Canada. The Committee held hearings again during this Parliament in April 2005.

While slow progress has been made in some areas, there was no progress observed in several others. The Committee believes that it is important that the Government continue to make progress on all fronts.

Consequently, the Committee wishes to restate from the 2003 report, the following recommendations, which in its view are still relevant:

RECOMMENDATION 1

While the Committee acknowledges that the federal government has designated the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans as the minister responsible for coordinating federal actions relating to aquatic invasive species, and that some of the recommendations have been implemented, the Committee continues to recommend that the following remaining actions be taken:
  • Consolidating and streamlining regulations applicable to aquatic invasive species within a comprehensive set of federal regulations;

  • Reducing invasive species introductions from ships by:

    • Establishing a national mandatory ballast water management program;
    • Requiring ships to have an invasive species management plan that outlines ways to minimize transfers;
    • Creating a tracking system for ships in transit to monitor compliance with the ballast water management program; and,
    • Including incentives for ship owners to install experimental ballast treatment technology.

  • Establishing emergency response centres to react to the threat of invasive species;

  • Supporting development and implementation of provincial and territorial aquatic invasive species management plans, including early detection, screening and rapid response activities;

  • Conducting ecological surveys for early detection of aquatic invasive species and analysis of invasion rates and patterns;

  • Ensuring that prevention and control measures do not further harm the environment and that they comply with the Fisheries Act, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act;

  • Conducting research on high-risk invasion pathways and alternative prevention and control technologies; and,

  • Allocating the necessary funding and resources for rapid response to introductions of aquatic invasive species, and for aquatic invasive species prevention, control, and research.

RECOMMENDATION 2

That Canada seek a permanent reference to the International Joint Commission to coordinate and harmonize binational efforts for action to counter the threat of aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes basin.

RECOMMENDATION 3

That the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans as the minister responsible for coordinating federal actions relating to aquatic invasive species, in concert with the Minister of Transport, expedite the development and implementation under the Canadian Shipping Act of ballast water management regulations providing for mandatory exchange of ballast water.

RECOMMENDATION 4

That Canada and the United States, under the auspices of the International Joint Commission, harmonize their ballast water treatment and exchange programs.

RECOMMENDATION 5

That as a matter of priority, standards for the treatment of ballast water be developed, implemented and fully enforced.

RECOMMENDATION 6

That the federal government support research into ship design, risk assessment and ballast water treatment technologies.

RECOMMENDATION 7

That the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans use his or her authority to conserve and protect fish and their habitat under section 43 of the Fisheries Act to issue regulations prohibiting the sale and trade of live grass, bighead, silver and black carp in Canada.

RECOMMENDATION 8

That a central repository of aquatic invasive species research be established to provide easy and effective access to scientific data. Such a repository could be modeled after the Great Lakes fishery database.

RECOMMENDATION 9

That the federal government, through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, provide financial support to the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters to help fund its aquatic invasive species education initiatives in the province of Ontario.

RECOMMENDATION 10

That the federal government, through Environment Canada, fund the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters’ proposal for a national aquatic invasive species awareness program.

In addition, the Committee makes the following further recommendation:

RECOMMENDATION 11

That the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans as the minister responsible for coordinating federal actions relating to aquatic invasive species, submit a report once a year to Parliament, and that this report be referred to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans for scrutiny and report to Parliament by the Committee.

The Committee made a similar recommendation in the 2003 report, to which the Government answered that the existing reporting structure provided the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans the opportunity to report to Parliament on progress on aquatic invasive species, citing the annual Departmental Performance Report (DPR) as an example. The 2003-2004 DPR, however, mentions aquatic invasive species only twice in very general terms. The Committee believes that such a level of reporting on this critical issue is inadequate.

Similarly, the Committee is also concerned by the fact, noted by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development on 21 April 2005, that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans failed to address the issue of Aquatic Invasive Species in its recently tabled Sustainable Development Strategy.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the Committee requests that the Government table a comprehensive response to the Report.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 33, 34 and 40) is tabled.



Respectfully submitted,


TOM WAPPEL
Chair