Reprinted from
The Globe and Mail.
An open letter to Stephen Harper on fisheries
Dear Prime Minister Harper:
As privy councillors from British
Columbia who have served as ministers of Fisheries and Oceans in past
federal governments, we wish to inform you of our serious concern
regarding the content of Bill C-38 and the process being used to bring
it into force.
We have had lengthy and varied political experience and collectively
have served in cabinet in Progressive Conservative and Liberal
governments alike. We believe we have a fair understanding of the views
of Canadians. Moreover, we believe there is genuine public concern over
the perceived threat this legislation poses to the health of Canada’s
environment and in particular to the well-being of its fisheries
resources. We are especially alarmed about any possible diminution of
the statutory protection of fish habitat, which we feel could result if
the provisions of Bill C-38 are brought into force. Migratory salmon and
steelhead are icons of our home province. Our experience convinces us
that their continued survival would be endangered without adequate
federal regulation and enforcement, particularly in the area of habitat
protection.
With respect to process, we find it troubling that the government is
proposing to amend the Fisheries Act via omnibus budget legislation in a
manner that we believe will inevitably reduce and weaken the
habitat-protection provisions. Regrettably, despite the significance of
the legislation, to date the responsible ministers have provided no
plausible, let alone convincing, rationale for proceeding with the
unusual process that has been adopted. Quite frankly, Canadians are
entitled to know whether these changes were written, or insisted upon,
by the Minister of Fisheries or by interest groups outside the
government. If the latter is true, who are they?
This country’s
fisheries are vital to our coastal communities, particularly first
nations communities, and a strong and effective Fisheries Act, supported
by a robust scientific research capacity and enforcement personnel, is
critical to maintaining healthy fish stocks. Major changes to such
critical legislation warrant extensive and factual discussion and a
broad consultation process. We therefore strongly recommend a full
examination of the proposed Fisheries Act amendments, and of the
proposed staff reductions, by the standing committee on fisheries and
oceans (not the finance committee) of the House of Commons. That
examination must include appropriate testimony from industry and first
nations representatives, academic experts and present and past personnel
of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Furthermore, greater clarification of the purpose of the proposed
changes is needed from the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the
Environment Minister. To date, they have provided only vague and general
descriptions of the problems that they wish to address through these
amendments. This lack of information has made it impossible for us to
determine whether or not their concerns are well founded and whether the
proposed changes will have any appreciable beneficial effect. Without
such information, we can only judge from our own experience, which
suggests that the shortcomings of the existing legislation have been
greatly overstated and that the remedial action proposed is vastly out
of proportion to the issues they have referred to, but only vaguely. In
short, we have the impression that the ministers are using a
sledgehammer to swat a fly.
Collectively, we have spent many years
in government attempting to maintain fish stocks and protect fish
habitat. A strong Fisheries Act, a competent science establishment and
vigorous enforcement programs are essential to protect fish stocks and
the habitat on which they depend.
The authors are former federal ministers of Fisheries and Oceans.
