FOPO Committee Report

Canadian Alliance Dissenting Opinion

For the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans

Re: The Federal Role in Aquaculture in Canada

The Canadian Alliance policy position on aquaculture in Canada is as follows:

The Canadian Alliance recognizes that the aquaculture industry has expanded to provide a significant number of jobs and economic growth in coastal communities on Canada's East and West Coasts.

To ensure that the salmon farming industry can coexist with sustainable recreational and commercial salmon fisheries, the Canadian Alliance would provide a stable and transparent regulatory environment to govern the interaction of aquaculture with wild fish and their habitat.  Such a regulatory framework must reflect the primary obligation of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to protect wild fish and their habitat.

Furthermore the Canadian Alliance believes that the department of Fisheries cannot be both a regulator and a promoter of fin fish aquaculture.  Therefore all aquaculture promotional activities should be removed from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

The Canadian Alliance cannot fully support the recommendations contained in the report by the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans on the Federal Role in Aquaculture in Canada, as aspects of the report conflict with our stated policy position.