The Government of Canada is inviting Canadians to join in a conversation about the protections needed to ensure the country’s fish stocks have a healthy environment to live, feed and reproduce, as well as healthy corridors to migrate.
Launched by Dominic LeBlanc, minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian coast guard, online public consultation is part of the Government of Canada’s Review of Environmental and Regulatory Processes, announced on 20 June 2016.
The consultation will look at ways to restore lost protections and incorporate modern safeguards into the Fisheries Act. The feedback heard through the process will be provided to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. This committee will consider all feedback as part of its recommendations for changes to the Fisheries Act.
“Canada’s fisheries need the proper safeguards in the right places. I want to hear from all Canadians, including scientists, environmentalists and Indigenous peoples, as well as our industry partners and small business owners. Together, we can find the best path forward to protect sustainable aquatic ecosystems in Canada,” said LeBlanc.
Gaining royal assent in 1868, the Fisheries Act is one of Canada’s oldest pieces of federal legislation. It was most recently amended in 2012.
