ARCHIVED - Fisheries and Oceans Canada

The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans has considered Bill S-215, An Act to protect heritage lighthouses, and agreed on Thursday, April 10, 2008, to report it with amendments.

No Government response requested.

The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans "has considered Votes 1, 5 and 10 under FISHERIES AND OCEANS in the Main Estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009, and reports the same less the amounts granted in Interim Supply."

No Government response requested.

Recommendations from the Senate Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans:

1. The Committee recommends that Canada uphold its position that the waters of the Northwest Passage are its internal waters and should be prepared to defend any legal challenge.

2. The Committee recommends that Canada develop a much stronger year-round, national presence and enforcement capability to show the world that Canada is serious about controlling the Northwest Passage, protecting Canadian interests and its people, and making the waterway a safe and efficient shipping route.

3. The Committee recommends that there be a uniform, common code relating to the construction, manning and equipment of all vessels operating in the Arctic.

4. The Committee recommends that Inuit, with their unique knowledge of the region, be recruited for the Coast Guard wherever possible.

5. The Committee recommends that the Coast Guard formulate a long-term strategic vision to guide it into the future. With nearly a quarter of experienced marine personnel expected to retire in the next five to seven years, staffing issues will present a challenge.

6. The Committee recommends that NORDREG, Canada's current voluntary vessel traffic system in the Arctic, be made compulsory.

7. The Committee recommends that Canada develop a long-term plan for the acquisition of new multi-purpose heavy icebreakers made in Canada and capable of operating year-round in its Arctic Archipelago and on the continental shelf.

8. The Committee recommends the deployment of multi-mission polar icebreakers operated by the Coast Guard as a cost-effective solution to Canada's surveillance and sovereignty patrol needs in the Arctic.

9. The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada move forward to implement, in collaboration with the Government of Nunavut, a comprehensive harbour development plan, as recommended by the DFO-Nunavut Harbours Working Committee in its 2005 Nunavut Small Craft Harbours Report.

No Government response requested.

The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans "recommends that the federal government, in cooperation with the provinces and territories, conduct in-depth research into the effect of environmental changes on the eelgrass beds of James Bay. In addition, the federal government must establish, within its jurisdiction, a program of research and large-scale monitoring of the ecosystems of James and Hudson bays. It is essential that the various aboriginal communities involved participate in the research and monitoring, so as to incorporate traditional knowledge and local know-how."

Government Response requested but, based on the parliamentary procedures, the response was not tabled due to the election in October 2008.

The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans "has considered Votes 1b, 5b and 10b under FISHERIES AND OCEANS in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009, and reports the same."

No Government response requested.

The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans has concurred in the findings of the Report entitled Condition of the Eelgrass Beds in James Bay, which was presented to the House during the 2nd Session of the 39th Parliament.

Note: The content of the Report entitled Condition of the Eelgrass Beds in James Bay is summarized above, under the summary of the Fifth Report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans presented to the House on June 12, 2008.

Government Response required to be tabled in the House by September 14, 2009.

Note: The Response is led by Environment Canada. DFO will provide input and guidance to EC as needed.

"The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans calls on the government to:

a) intensify representations to the European Parliament and implement a widespread educational campaign in Europe to counteract the inflammatory campaigns of misinformation against the seal hunt waged by abolitionist groups.

b) do everything in its power to ensure that hunters and the seal industry have the best conditions possible for the 2009 hunting season."

No Government Response requested.

The OAG selected thirteen such fees established by six federal organizations responsible for a major portion of the fee revenue reported by the government: Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Health Canada, Industry Canada, and the Parks Canada Agency. They looked at how these organizations established the cost of the fee and determined the amount to be charged for the fee; they also looked at how they measured, monitored, and reported on the performance of the fee-related activities. In addition, they looked at any related policy or guidance on fees that the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat has provided to departments and agencies; also looked at the scope and application of the User Fees Act passed in 2004.

1.27 Fisheries and Oceans Canada should improve the reliability of the information used to allocate costs to the marine navigation services fee. (1.25)

Response

Fisheries and Oceans Canada accepts the recommendation. Since the internal audit of 2005, improvements have been made to clarify and update the business process related to the timeliness and reliability of the fleet operational data and the consistency of cost allocations. The Department is carrying out the Readiness Assessment project to prepare for the independent audited financial statements that are to be available by the 2010-11 fiscal years. The costing systems and processes will be reviewed, after which the Department will assess the actions needed and time required to improve the reliability of the information.

Recommendation

1.28 Fisheries and Oceans Canada should identify the costs associated with the registration fee for fishers and their vessels to ensure that the fee complies with all legislation, policies, and guidance associated with the fee, and take any necessary action to adjust the fee. (1.27)

Response

Fisheries and Oceans Canada accepts the recommendation. The Department has started identifying the costs associated with the issuance of fisher and vessel registrations for which fees are set under regulation. These costs will be compared to the revenues collected for the issuance of these registrations, and the Department will determine the necessary action to be taken, including adjusting the fees if required. Because of the complexity of the regulatory process, adjustments to fisher and vessel registration fees would be completed by 2011.

Recommendation

1.46 Industry Canada (radio licence fees), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (commercial fishing licence fees), Health Canada (medical marihuana fee), and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (permanent residence application fee, right of permanent residence fee, and right of citizenship fee) should establish formal systems and practices to periodically review these fees. In this review, the departments should consider changing fee-related costs or value, the portion of the fee that should accrue to fee payers and taxpayers respectively, and other factors related to changing circumstances. They should also consider developing a longer-term approach to the fee structure that would enable the fee to be automatically adjusted to reflect these various factors, subject to the requirements of the User Fees Act. (1.39-1.45)

Response

Fisheries and Oceans Canada accepts the recommendation. The Department continues to periodically review commercial fishing licence fees. The most recent review was announced 12 April 2007, and is expected to be complete by 2010 in light of the extensive requirements associated with the regulatory process and the User Fees Act. The review is assessing changing factors within the commercial fishery as well as long-term approaches that would allow for timely and automatic updating of commercial fishing fees.

Recommendation

1.73 Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Industry Canada, and Health Canada should consider improving the transparency of their fees that were subject to this audit by providing more complete public reporting of their financial and non-financial performance information. (1.68-1.72)

Response

Fisheries and Oceans Canada accepts the recommendation. The Department will consider the means whereby the fees may be made more transparent through the medium of the Report on Plans and Priorities and the Departmental Performance Report.

For this status report, the OAG examined the progress made since 2004 by 14 departments and agencies in their management and sharing of intelligence information, including the interoperability of their systems to support information sharing.

Recommendation

No recommendation for DFO

The audit looked at the federal government's process for making Governor in Council appointments to Crown corporations, small federal entities, and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. They examined the extent of progress made in implementing recommendations on the appointment process from our 2000 and 2005 reports on Crown corporation governance. In the small entities they examined, they looked at appointment-related issues raised in our 2003 audit of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and our 2006 audit of the Office of the Correctional Investigator. They followed up on a related recommendation from our 1997 audit of the Immigration and Refugee Board that the government improve its practices for appointing Board members. The audit did not review the appointment decisions made by the Governor in Council or the roles played by ministers, ministers' offices, or the Prime Minister's Office.

Recommendation

No recommendation for DFO

Recommendation

No recommendation for DFO

The chapter describes the nature of environmental petitions and the extent to which some of them may have influenced the federal management of environmental issues in Canada. In fulfillment of statutory obligations contained in the Auditor General Act, the chapter contains an annual report to Parliament on the nature and status of petitions.

The Chapter sites that Fisheries and Oceans Canada improved the timeliness of their responses this year.