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Fisheries and Oceans

During oral questions on fisheries and oceans, Elizabeth May of the Green Party asked the fisheries minister about open net-pen salmon farms in British Columbia, saying the government had promised in 2019 to close them but pushed the deadline from 2025 to 2029, and asking for a commitment to shut them down by 2029. Parliamentary Secretary Joanne Thompson replied that salmon are important to west coast communities, that a government task force had held more than 120 engagements with First Nations and stakeholders, and that the government was reviewing those perspectives to decide how to move forward on fish farming in British Columbia. The rest of the sampled exchange was procedural: the Bloc Québécois raised a point of order arguing that a government answer had been used to make an announcement rather than respond to a question, and the parliamentary secretary disputed a claim that she had made an offensive gesture, saying it was just a hand movement.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

4 statements

Elizabeth May

Green
“The government promised to shut down open net-pen salmon farms, but delayed the deadline from 2025 to 2029. Many First Nations and fishing groups want these harmful farms closed. I want the minister to promise to shut them down by 2029.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the hon. Minister of Fisheries. In 2019, the federal government committed to shutting down what are sometimes called open net-pen salmon farms. In my riding, my constituents asked me to call them toxic fish factories, which is what they are. The government promised to shut them down by 2025, but in 2024, it extended that to 2029. Now the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance is demanding to know, on behalf of 37 first nations in B.C., the wild salmon fishery organizations, the salmon foundation and the sport fishers, if the government will commit to keeping its promise and shut down these toxic fish factories by 2029.

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Joanne Thompson

Liberal

Linked statement

“Salmon are important to west coast communities. Our task force has met with First Nations and other groups more than 120 times. We are reviewing what they told us to decide how best to move forward with fish farming in British Columbia.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 47 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of salmon to communities on Canada’s west coast. The government’s interdepartmental task force has conducted over 120 engagements with first nations and stakeholders. The government is reviewing the different perspectives to consider how best to move forward on sustainable aquaculture in British Columbia.

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Christine Normandin

Bloc Québécois
“I want the Speaker to rethink how he handles question period. The government used an answer today just to make an announcement. If the Speaker allows that, the government could turn every answer into a statement instead of answering our questions.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I will be brief, because I can already guess what your answer to my question will be. Mr. Speaker, you have previously stated that you can determine whether a question in the House is relevant, but you cannot do the same with the answer. In response to a question from the member for Barrie South—Innisfil today, the government responded by sharing the news of Anne Carson winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, which is entirely legitimate. That said, I would suggest that the appropriate time to do that would have been during Statements by Members. If you accept that it is possible to answer a question with that response, then logically, you should also accept that it is possible to do so for 39 questions, which would give the government 39 more statements. I would ask you to reflect on that.

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Joanne Thompson

Liberal
“I did not make an offensive gesture. I just moved my hand, and his claim is insulting.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that whatever he said I did was just a hand movement, and I find the statement offensive.

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