As a result of their deliberations committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada immediately accelerate the implementation of the recommendations made in the 2019 report by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans West Coast Fisheries: Sharing Risks and Benefits by prioritizing the adequate allocations of resources to ensure staffing and work required to move forward with the recommendations.

Recommendation 2

That the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard make it a condition of licence that the licence and quota holder be the licence owner with “boots on the deck” and that, before such licence is issued, it is proven that the licence holder is a Canadian citizen and/or a 100% Canadian-owned entity; that the proof of beneficial ownership be the responsibility of the licence holder in full, and that this policy be fully implemented within two years of the establishment of an independent fishery finance agency.

Recommendation 3

That, given the flaws in Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Beneficial Ownership Survey, Fisheries and Oceans Canada provide a detailed update and projected timeline for establishing the Canadian ownership criteria for holders of licences and quota. The timeline for the full transition to Canadian ownership should be seven years or less, as recommended in the 2021 Gardner Pinfold Consultants Inc. report entitled Comparative analysis of commercial fisheries policies and regulations on Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Recommendation 4

That an independent consultation and support office for fishers be established so that owner-operators have a forum where they can speak freely and consult, sheltered from pressures placed on them by markets and by foreign companies.

Recommendation 5

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada suspend licences that are found to be used in contravention of current and new Owner-Operator policies until such infraction is remedied.

Recommendation 6

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada prohibit the transfer and sale of snow crab fishing licences outside the provinces where they were issued, and that residency criteria be standardized between provinces and set at a number of years of residency that will make it possible to stop the acquisition of these licences, so that they remain within the respective communities and provinces.

Recommendation 7

That, in relation to sales and purchases of vessels, licences and quota, transactions involving lawyers’ trust accounts be subject to oversight from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) in order to facilitate the identification of money laundering operations.

Recommendation 8

That any acquisition with an individual or a cumulative market share of 20% or more by a corporation or beneficial owner trigger a review by the Competition Bureau.

Recommendation 9

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada recognize, affirm, and incorporate the guiding principle that Canada’s fisheries are a public good, and that the benefit from those fisheries should first and foremost support the people of Canada and the communities which rely on the fisheries.

Recommendation 10

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada implement an ecosystemic approach involving integrated management to ensure that it is not always reacting rather than acting.

Recommendation 11

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada develop a regulatory framework making access easier for the next generation of fishers and guaranteeing healthy management and intergenerational transfers by considering the socio-economic impacts experienced by communities.

Recommendation 12

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada recognize that it is imperative to favour food sovereignty in fisheries in Canada and that the various departments involved collaborate more with each other in order to prioritize food security and sovereignty and to preserve the culture and identity of coastal communities, while acting with full transparency.

Recommendation 13

That the Government of Canada immediately initiate the implementation processes described in Sections 3.4 and 3.5 in the 2021 Gardner Pinfold Consultants Inc. report.

Recommendation 14

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada meaningfully engage and work alongside Indigenous peoples through the process of the implementation of a made-in-BC owner-operator policy.

Recommendation 15

That the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard declare that the department’s agenda is to evolve a “fair share” of risks and benefits model for the distribution between stakeholders of the total gross revenue of each West Coast fishery.

Recommendation 16

That, regarding West Coast fisheries, Fisheries and Oceans Canada permit the ‘unstacking’ of licences and establish a licence exchange board to allow licence trading that contributes to Canadian beneficial ownership.

Recommendation 17

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada call for expressions of interest from a limited number of communities willing to engage in a pilot program to test the viability of a community-based licence. The community-specific pilot project should target a specific area and a specific species in an emerging fishery.

Recommendation 18

That the Government of Canada establish, within five years, an independent fishery financing agency, similar to Farm Credit Canada, with sufficient risk tolerance to finance and mentor new entrants to acquire licences and quota and to refinance existing licence holders to become independent of illegal trust and supply agreements with fish processors.

Recommendation 19

That the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard develop a strategy with their provincial counterparts, while respecting provincial jurisdiction, to reduce foreign ownership and corporate concentration at both levels of responsibility.