While the Fisheries Act has served Canadians well over the years, the Government of Canada believes that major amendments are required to reflect the evolving needs of resource users and expectations of Canadians.

By renewing the Fisheries Act, the Minister is demonstrating his commitment to put in place a modern, transparent, and more effective legislative framework for the sustainable development of fisheries and protection of fish habitat. The renewed Fisheries Act has been developed based on extensive policy consultations and scrutiny of existing legislation.

Consultations will be conducted through the parliamentary process, which usually allows for an all-party parliamentary committee to study and review the bill. The committee may invite individuals and representatives of organizations that have an interest in the legislation to provide comments either in writing or by personal appearance.

Should you wish to obtain further details concerning this legislation, please visit the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) website. The information that will be used to brief you is attached.

We will be available for further meetings in January. I would like to point out that the Department's role in this process will be to provide information and clarify any questions and comments on the bill contents. As pointed out above, consultations will be conducted through the parliamentary process.

Thank you for your interest in this very important issue.

View the FA Stakeholder Presentation, in PDF format

Paul Sprout
Regional Director General
Pacific Region