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Minutes of Proceedings

43rd Parliament, 2nd Session
Meeting 2
Monday, October 19, 2020, 4:16 p.m. to 6:02 p.m.
Webcast
Presiding
Ken McDonald, Chair (Liberal)

Library of Parliament
• Michael Chalupovitsch, Analyst
• Daniele Lafrance, Analyst
• Thai Nguyen, Analyst
The committee proceeded to the consideration of matters related to committee business.

At 4:18 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 4:20 p.m., the sitting resumed.

At 4:27 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 4:32 p.m., the sitting resumed.

Motion

Jaime Battiste moved, — That the committee undertake a study to examine the implementation of the Mi’kmaq constitutionally protected treaty right to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood, in order to evaluate the current Rights and Reconciliation Agreement process and identify issues that need to be addressed and recommend a path forward; that the committee call witnesses including senior officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, First Nations, Fisheries associations, scientists, and interested stakeholder groups to testify before the committee; that the Chair be empowered to coordinate the necessary witnesses, resources and scheduling to complete this task; and that the committee report its conclusions and recommendations to the House of Commons.

Debate arose thereon.

Amendment

Marilène Gill moved, — That the motion be amended by replacing the words "that the committee call witnesses, including senior officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, First Nations" with the words "that the Committee respectfully invite the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet First Nations to come and share their historical traditional knowledge with the committee members, and that, in the event of positive responses, a minimum of two hours be set aside to hear this evidence, and that the committee call witnesses, including senior officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada".

After debate, by unanimous consent, the amendment was withdrawn.

The debate on the motion continued.

Amendment

By unanimous consent, Jaime Battiste moved, — That the motion be amended by adding after the words “First Nations” the following: “including the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet,” and after the word "scientists", the following: ", indigenous knowledge holders".

Debate arose thereon.

Subamendment

Blaine Calkins moved, — That the amendment be amended by adding before the word “fisheries associations", the following: “non-indigenous and indigenous”; and by adding after the word “scientists,", the following: “local authorities,”.

After debate, the question was put on the subamendment of Blaine Calkins and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 11; NAYS: 0.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Jaime Battiste, as amended, and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Mel Arnold, Jaime Battiste, Terry Beech, Richard Bragdon, Blaine Calkins, Serge Cormier, Marilène Gill, Ken Hardie, Gord Johns, Dan Mazier, Robert J. Morrissey — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

Amendment

Blaine Calkins moved, — That the motion be amended by adding after the words “current Rights and Reconciliation Agreement process” the following: “, identify better ways to engage interested parties in order to improve communication, reduce tensions and prioritize conservation,”.

At 5:22 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 5:24 p.m., the sitting resumed.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Blaine Calkins and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 6; NAYS: 5.

Amendment

Marilène Gill moved, — That the motion be amended by adding after the words “path forward;” the following: “that the Committee use this broad study as an opportunity to propose a definition of moderate livelihood”.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Marilène Gill and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 1; NAYS: 10.

The question was put on the motion, as amended, and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Mel Arnold, Jaime Battiste, Terry Beech, Richard Bragdon, Blaine Calkins, Serge Cormier, Marilène Gill, Ken Hardie, Gord Johns, Dan Mazier, Robert J. Morrissey — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

That the committee undertake a study to examine the implementation of the Mi’kmaq constitutionally protected treaty right to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood, in order to evaluate the current Rights and Reconciliation Agreement process, identify better ways to engage interested parties in order to improve communication, reduce tensions and prioritize conservation, and identify issues that need to be addressed and recommend a path forward; that the committee call witnesses including senior officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, First Nations, including the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet, non-indigenous and indigenous fisheries association, scientists, local authorities, indigenous knowledge holders and interested stakeholder groups to testify before the committee; that the Chair be empowered to coordinate the necessary witnesses, resources and scheduling to complete this task; and that the committee report its conclusions and recommendations to the House of Commons.

It was agreed, — That the committee continue to sit an extra thirty minutes.

It was agreed, — That, in relation to the study of the implementation of Mi’kmaq Treaty Fishing Rights to support a moderate livelihood, members submit their preliminary list of suggested witnesses no later than Tuesday, October 20, at 5:00 p.m. ET, and the members submit their final list of suggested witnesses no later than Tuesday, October 27, at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Motion

Ken Hardie moved, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and given the decline in Pacific salmon stocks and the ongoing situation with the Big Bar landslide, the committee undertake a study on the state of Pacific salmon and make recommendations on next steps to ensure for the long-term health of these stocks, as well as the commercial, indigenous and recreational fisheries that depend on them; that this study consist of at least six meetings, with two of those meetings focused on the Big Bar landslide, that the committee call witness including senior departmental officials, First Nations, and relevant stakeholder groups to testify before committee; that the committee report to the House; that the committee reintroduce all testimony and submissions on this subject from the First Session of the 43rd Parliament to be included and used for considering and drafting a report, and that all previous committee meetings on this subject be considered as meetings as a part of this study as outlined in this motion.

Debate arose thereon.

Amendment

Mel Arnold moved, — That the motion be amended by adding after the words “First Nations,” the following: “representatives from British Columbia's salmon farming industry”.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Mel Arnold and it was agreed to.

The debate continued on the motion, as amended.

Amendment

Mel Arnold moved, — That the motion be amended by replacing the words “that the committee reintroduce all testimony and submissions on this subject from the First Session of the 43rd Parliament to be included and used for considering and drafting a report, and that all previous committee meetings on this subject be considered as meetings as a part of this study as outlined in this motion” with the following "; that the committee reintroduce all testimony, submissions and recommendations received on this subject as well as on the subject of the Big Bar landslide from the First Session of the 43rd Parliament to be included and used for considering and drafting a report, and that all previous committee meetings on this subject be considered as meetings as a part of this study as outlined in this motion".

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Mel Arnold and it was agreed to.

The debate continued on the motion, as amended.

Amendment

Gord Johns moved, — That the motion be amended by adding after the words “that the committee call witnesses including senior departmental officials, First Nations, and relevant stakeholder groups to testify before committee;” the following: “that two meetings be dedicated to indigenous knowledge;”.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Gord Johns and it was agreed to.

After debate, the question was put on the motion, as amended, and it was agreed to.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and given the decline in Pacific salmon stocks and the ongoing situation with the Big Bar landslide, the committee undertake a study on the state of Pacific salmon and make recommendations on next steps to ensure for the long-term health of these stocks, as well as the commercial, indigenous and recreational fisheries that depend on them; that this study consist of at least six meetings, with two of those meetings focused on the Big Bar landslide, that the committee call witness including senior departmental officials, First Nations, representatives from British Columbia's salmon farming industry and relevant stakeholder groups to testify before committee; that two meetings be dedicated to indigenous knowledge; that the committee reintroduce all testimony, submissions and recommendations received on this subject as well as on the subject of the Big Bar landslide from the First Session of the 43rd Parliament to be included and used for considering and drafting a report, and that all previous committee meetings on this subject be considered as meetings as a part of this study as outlined in this motion; and that the committee report to the House.

Dan Mazier gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study of at least two meetings to identify the impact of the Indigenous Freshwater Fish Marketing Limited Partnership (IFFMLP) initiative whereby, the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation (FFMC) transitions from a harvester-led partnership model; that the committee call witnesses including senior departmental officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and interested stakeholder groups to testify, including commentary on the sustainability and regulation of the commercial freshwater fishing industry; and that the committee report its conclusions and recommendations to the House.

At 6:02 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.



Nancy Vohl
Clerk of the Committee