ARCHIVED - Fisheries and Oceans Canada

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Overview

In this section:

• A Message from Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
• Management Representation Statement
• DFO at a Glance
• DFO's Program Activity Architecture
• Financial and Human Resources for 2006-2007
• Summary of Performance by Departmental Priority
• Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes

A Message from Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans

As Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, I am pleased to present our Departmental Performance Report for 2006-2007.

Our job at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is to deliver the programs and services that support three strategic outcomes for Canadians:

• safe and accessible waterways;
• sustainable fisheries and aquaculture; and
• healthy and productive aquatic ecosystems.

I am very proud of our record this year. The talented and dedicated staff of DFO and the Canadian Coast Guard has delivered excellence in fisheries management, science, conservation, ocean and habitat protection and marine safety. Of special note, the Canadian Coast Guard's Leslie Palmer received the Cross of Valour, Canada's highest civilian honour for bravery, for his role in saving two lives on the shores of Greenville Channel, near Prince Rupert, British Columbia. He is the first member of the Coast Guard to receive this distinction and only the twentieth Canadian.

On the international front, the past year was successful. We helped improve international fisheries and oceans governance by leading efforts to reform the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). This led to monitoring, control and surveillance measures, which NAFO adopted last December. Canada also played an important role in helping the international community agree on a new standard to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems from the impacts of fishing.

DFO and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade worked closely with the newly appointed Canadian Ambassador for Fisheries Conservation, Mr. Loyola Sullivan. Ambassador Sullivan has moved quickly to demonstrate that Canada is committed to responsible management of high seas fisheries and the sustainability of marine ecosystems. The international agenda in areas such as these is moving fast, and we will ensure that Canada continues to show leadership on the world stage.

Sound scientific data is key to better management decisions. This year's federal budget included $39 million over two years to strengthen and renew DFO's science program. Science renewal is a priority for DFO and we reached many milestones this year towards that goal. We successfully integrated a newly established science management board into our annual departmental planning cycle and we consulted with more than 140 representatives of other federal departments and academia to further our science renewal agenda. We also strategically realigned our science budget and functions to make sure our resources are best placed to address national and departmental priorities.

This year, we invested approximately $100 million to help maintain Canada's network of small craft harbours so that fish harvesters can earn their living as safely and efficiently as possible. The rejuvenation of the Canadian Coast Guard continued in 2006-2007, buoyed by funding for eight new mid-shore patrol ships and preliminary approval of two new off-shore fishery science vessels. The 2007 federal budget also identified $324 million for the procurement, operation and maintenance of six other new vessels for the Coast Guard fleet, including an additional off-shore fishery science vessel and an off-shore oceanographic science ship.

The Coast Guard continued to maintain one of the best records in the world for search and rescue, notwithstanding the size of our country and one of the harshest climates in the world. Key maritime programs such as icebreaking, aids to navigation, waterways management, and vessel traffic control facilitate the maritime traffic and commerce that is so critical to our economy.

There was significant progress on behalf of our oceans this year. We designated the Musquash Estuary in New Brunswick as Canada's sixth Marine Protected Area (MPA) and, in cooperation with the Haida Nation on the west coast, we are well on the way to designating the Bowie Seamount. In fact, through the 2007 federal budget, our government announced plans to designate nine new MPAs in the coming years. The $19 million included in the budget for a health-of-the-oceans initiative will also support improved monitoring and prevention of marine pollution. We also completed scientific assessments in priority areas of each of our three oceans to better protect the environment and enhance the quality of life of Canadians who depend on these waters.

As part of DFO's Environmental Process Modernization Plan, we made many improvements to how we protect fish habitat in Canada. A new risk-management framework was implemented to better predict the effect of specific development activities on aquatic habitat and we worked with the provinces and territories to streamline assessment of low-risk development projects to better focus on those of higher risk to habitat. DFO also signed an agreement with nine major non-governmental conservation organizations to partner on public-education, monitoring and watershed planning initiatives.

Aquaculture holds enormous untapped potential for our coastal communities. This year, we worked with other federal departments, the provinces and territories, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to enhance this industry's current regulatory regime. We continued to promote increased public confidence in aquaculture, including the launch of a new aquaculture website.

We worked to renew key policies that enhance the value and competitiveness of Canada's fishing industry and improve internal processes that will help us better serve Canadians. For example, we tabled a modernized Fisheries Act in Parliament that would improve the way we manage Canada's fisheries through greater transparency, accountability and collaboration with resource users. The new Act would put into law principles of conservation to better protect marine ecosystems and ensure more sustainable commercial and recreational fisheries.

We adopted an "oceans-to-plate" management approach that put into place a number of initiatives to renew the viability and sustainability of key fisheries in Canada — and this work continues right across the country. We took steps to better preserve the independence of the in-shore fleet in Atlantic Canada, created new classes of vessels and adjusted vessel-replacement requirements, among other measures. These renewal measures have provided greater flexibility and choice to Canada's fishers in running their operations successfully.

Internally, DFO continued to improve its operations this year in several areas, including: management accountability; integrated planning, reporting and risk management; and modernizing our human resources functions. We made solid progress on our Information Technology (IT) Sustainability Project, which will improve how we manage our IT assets and serve Canadians, while saving $10-$12 million a year by 2009-2010.

Our achievements demonstrate our strong commitment to managing Canada's fisheries and oceans well so that Canadians can derive the maximum sustainable value from these public resources. I look forward to continuing our work with industry, government partners, environmental organizations, volunteer groups and stakeholders across Canada to build better fishery and a brighter future for our waters and marine ecosystems.

 

_______________________________

The Honourable Loyola Hearn, P.C., M.P.

Minister of Fisheries and Oceans

 

Management Representation Statement

I submit, for tabling in Parliament, the 2006-2007 Departmental Performance Report for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's Guide for the Preparation of Part III of the 2006-2007 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports:

• It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the TBS guidance;
• It is based on the department's approved Program Activity Architecture structure as reflected in the Management, Resources and Results Structure;
• It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced and reliable information;
• It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it; and
• It reports finances based on approved numbers from the Estimates and the Public Accounts of Canada.

 

__________________________

Michelle d'Auray

Deputy Minister

 

DFO at a Glance

Mandate

On behalf of the Government of Canada, DFO is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of 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.

The Department's guiding legislation includes the Oceans Act and the Fisheries Act. The Department is also one of the three departments responsible for the Species at Risk Act.

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

In pursuit of the above mandate, DFO is committed to three strategic outcomes that provide enduring benefits that Canadians derive from the Department's vision and efforts. The following table describes these three strategic outcomes.

Strategic Outcome	Description
Safe and Accessible Waterways	Providing access to Canadian waterways, and ensuring the overall safety and integrity of Canada's marine infrastructure for the benefit of all Canadians.
Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture	Delivering an integrated fisheries and aquaculture program that is credible, science based, affordable and effective, and contributes to sustainable wealth for Canadians.
Healthy and Productive Aquatic Ecosystems	Ensuring the sustainable development and integrated management of resources in or around Canada's aquatic environment through oceans and fish habitat management. It also involves carrying out the critical science and fisheries management activities that support these two programs.

Operating Environment and Context

The Department's operational environment is multifaceted, complex and challenging. On behalf of the Government of Canada, DFO is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's scientific, ecological, social and economic interests in oceans and fresh waters.

DFO faces a number of challenges in meeting its mandate. Canada's fisheries and oceans have seen considerable change over the past decade — the collapse of historically key fish stocks, international tensions, an increasing need to strengthen relationships between federal, provincial and territorial governments and Aboriginal groups, the need to address issues in Canada's Arctic region and an unprecedented expansion of the user base of the oceans. At the same time, there has been growing recognition of environmental challenges such as pollution, species at risk and climate change, along with the continued aging of the workforce and emigration from Atlantic Canada.

To begin addressing these challenges, DFO received a permanent increase of $99 million in its annual budget. This new funding is focused on delivering the core programs and services of the Department. While challenges still remain, this increased budget allocation helps build an effective, financially stable organization whose work contributes to government priorities and better meets important needs of Canadians.

The federal budget for 2006 focused on the Government's five priorities — accountability, tax relief, families and communities, security, and federal-provincial fiscal balance. The budget announced two major income tax measures specifically for fishers, a one-time $500,000 capital gains exemption and a tax deferral for "intergenerational rollover" of fishing property. Budget elements that were of indirect interest to DFO include tax cuts that could benefit aquaculture farms, fish harvesting corporations and fish processing corporations; increased RCMP funding that could also support joint CCG and RCMP activities; the Security and Prosperity Partnership initiatives; and increased funding for Defence and protection of Canada's Arctic sovereignty and security.

Sustainable development is central to DFO's vision and priorities and the Sustainable Development Strategy constitutes a core element in departmental planning. DFO published a new three-year Sustainable Development Strategy in 2007, which confirms DFO's continuing commitment to provide Canadians with sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, and healthy and productive aquatic ecosystems.

Key Changes within the Department

The Department's work towards the modernization of the 138-year-old Fisheries Act will result in revitalizing the way DFO manages Canada's fisheries resources. A new Act would modernize the way fisheries are managed, and enshrine conservation measures to protect the aquatic ecosystems to ensure long-term sustainable fisheries for Canadian commercial, Aboriginal and recreational fishers. Bill C-45, tabled in December 2006, was developed from extensive cross-country consultations and discussions and included expanded roles for fishery participants in decision-making; the adoption of clear principles dedicated to sustainable development; and a new sanctions system aimed at promoting more responsible fishing behaviour.

From an organization and governance perspective, the transformation of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) into a Special Operating Agency (SOA) has been a major institutional change within DFO. The transition has improved CCG's ability to respond to its enhanced role under Canada's national security agenda, while improving traditional services through continuous renewal. Under its new SOA status, the CCG has improved its operational and management flexibility to realize benefits for its clients and stakeholders. Formal authorities that came into effect in 2005-2006 have continued to give the CCG more flexibility in how it manages its resources and responds to issues related to emergencies, capital expenditures and clean-up costs recovered from polluters.

In addition to implementing the CCG Special Operating Agency, DFO undertook a review of how the rest of the Department has worked together. The Management Model Review looked at the relationship between managers in headquarters and the regions to ensure that their roles and responsibilities were clearly understood and implemented. Overall, the review concluded that the existing matrix model continues to be the most effective for the Department. DFO adopted an integrated management approach to daily operations to bring together regions, DFO sectors and communities to plan and manage human activities affecting portions of the freshwater and marine environments.

The management model review also studied the internal governance structure of the Department and made some changes to the committee and decision-making structure of DFO, such as the addition of the Policy Integration Committee and the new Human Resources and Finance sub-committees.

DFO's Program Activity Architecture

DFO's basis for reporting to Parliament is its Program Activity Architecture (PAA). The PAA is an inventory of DFO's programs and activities and explains how the Department's program activities contribute to the three strategic outcomes described in DFO at a Glance . Each program activity has one or more program sub-activities that contribute to the program activity. Additional information on the strategic outcomes, program activities, and sub-activities can be found in the section Analysis by Strategic Outcome.

The PAA also includes the corporate functions that support the delivery of DFO's programs to Canadians. These functions are called Program Enablers. Additional information about the Program Enablers can be found in Section 4.

Financial and Human Resources for 2006-2007

Total Financial Resources for the Department, 2006-2007 (millions of dollars)

Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
1,675.8	1,737.2	1,648.9x

^xExplanation of variances can be found in the section, Supplementary Information, Table 1.

 

 

Total Human Resources for the Department, 2006-2007 (number of full-time equivalents)

Planned	Actual	Difference
10,444	10,382	-62

Summary of Performance by Departmental Priority

In its 2006-2007 Report on Plans and Priorities, DFO identified seven program priorities and five management priorities. Program priorities are priority areas that are critical to DFO's ability to deliver its programs and services and to position it to move forward with new responsibilities. Management priorities are focused on improving the management of the Department and on providing tools to managers to help them deliver their programs.

 

The table below presents the planned and actual spending for each priority. DFO's progress in delivering the program priorities is discussed in more detail in Section 2, under the appropriate Program Activity. The results of the management priorities have been consolidated into the Management Accountability Framework and are discussed in Section 4.

Planned and Actual Spending by Departmental Priority, 2005-2006 (millions of dollars)

Departmental Priority	Supported by Program Activity	Type1	Performance Status2	Planned Spending	Actual Spending
Safe and Accessible Waterways
Canadian Coast Guard Rejuvenation	Canadian Coast Guard	Ongoing	Partially met	23.0	5.33
Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture
International Governance	Fisheries Management	Previous	Exceeded	23.4	20.3
Fisheries Renewal	Fisheries Management	Previous	Met	*	*
Aquaculture Governance	Aquaculture	Previous	Met	3.9	*
Healthy and Productive Aquatic Ecosystems
Oceans Action Plan	Oceans Management	Previous	Met	7.5	4.54
Environmental Process Modernization	Habitat Management	Previous	Met	*	*
Contributing to all Strategic Outcomes
Science Renewal	Science	Previous	Met	*	*
Management Priorities
Management Accountability Framework
Human Resources Modernization	Department	Ongoing	Met	0.6	0.6
Management Accountability Framework	Department	Ongoing	Met	0.1	0.1
Integrated Planning and Reporting	Department	Ongoing	Partially met	0.2	0.2
Integrated Risk Management	Department	Ongoing	Met	3.65	0.7
Departmental Renewal	Department	Previous	Partially met	11.6	6.96

*This priority is managed within ongoing management responsibilities and commitments. Resources directed specifically to this priority cannot be identified.

¹Type of priority is new, ongoing or previous. New means the priority was introduced during this performance period. Ongoing means the priority has no end date. Previous means the priority was reported in a prior Report on Plans and Priorities or Departmental Performance Report.

²Performance status:

All commitments were met	Met
Only some commitments were met	Partially met
Commitments achieved were above expectations	Exceeded
The priority has been cancelled	Cancelled
The priority has been completed	Completed
The priority has been changed and new commitments were set	Modified
Commitments were not met	Not met

³ The large variance between planned and actual spending was caused by delays in the Coast Guards' Major Capital Plan for the acquisition of Coast Guard Fleet midshore and offshore vessels. This major capital was reprofiled to future fiscal years.

⁴ $3.98 million was carried forward to 2007-2008.

⁵ This amount represents the entire Audit and Evaluation Directorate annual budget. Of that amount, Integrated Risk Management's Planned Spending was $0.37 million.

⁶ IT Sustainability Funding. The difference between planned and actual spending is due to the late receipt of funds from TBS. $4.7M is carried forward to 2007-2008.

Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes

Canada's Performance, the annual report to Parliament on the federal government's contribution to Canada's performance as a nation, is structured around three policy areas:

• Economic Affairs, which demonstrates the increased importance given to the links between the Canadian economy and the natural environment;
• Social Affairs, which promotes core values, linguistic duality, ethnic diversity, art, culture, and active citizenship, while enhancing the health, safety, and standard of living of citizens;
• International Affairs, which demonstrates Canada's international leadership on global issues while promoting its culture and heritage abroad.

Each of these policy areas is associated with outcomes areas that the federal government is working to achieve. DFO contributes to four outcomes in two of the policy areas. The following table shows the relationship between these Government of Canada outcomes and DFO's outcomes.

Government of Canada Outcome	Safe and Accessible Waterways	Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture	Healthy and Productive Aquatic Ecosystems
Economic Affairs
Strong economic growth	Small Craft Harbours	Fisheries Management Aquaculture
An innovative and knowledge-based economy	Science	Science	Science
A clean and healthy environment			Oceans Management Habitat Management
Social Affairs
Safe and secure communities	Canadian Coast Guard

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