This afternoon, Bill C-68 received Royal Assent by the Governor General and has officially become law. This is a victory for the environment, independent fishers, and all Canadians because today, the important amendments to this Act, put forward by our government are being enshrined in law.
I would like to congratulate our colleagues at the Canadian Space Agency on today’s successful launch of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission satellites from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, issued the following statement to mark World Environment Day, 2019.
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing affects legitimate fish harvesters and processors and undermines their ability to contribute economically to their local communities.
Today I join many of my colleagues, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Canadian Coast Guard employees, and Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada from coast to coast to coast in marking the start of National Indigenous History Month.
Canada is an ocean nation. With the world’s longest coastline and surrounded by three oceans - our marine ecosystems are home to an abundance of marine life and support over 350,000 Canadian jobs.
We take the duty to consult with Indigenous groups very seriously and the Government of Canada is engaging in meaningful consultation with Indigenous communities and stakeholders to form our policy decisions.
Protecting ocean health is a priority to Canadians and the Government of Canada. We have a collective responsibility to ensure that fish and their habitat are protected for future generations, and we take this responsibility very seriously. This is why earlier this week, we announced the Government of Canada’s approach to enhance the environmental sustainability of the aquaculture sector. This approach includes: a study on the alternative technologies for aquaculture, including land and sea-based closed containment technology, moving towards an area-based approach to aquaculture management, placing greater emphasis on the precautionary principle and creating a single comprehensive set of regulations - the General Aquaculture Regulations.
The Government of Canada is taking a new approach to building confidence in the Canadian aquaculture industry. We are committed to moving forward in a way that protects the environment, the oceans and the fish stocks and that will create thousands of jobs for middle class Canadians.