Question Period Note: INTERNAL DFO EVALUATION OF THE AQUATIC CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION SERVICES PROGRAM

• Understanding the role that Canada’s ocean’s play in regulating the world’s climates, and the impact that climate change may have on them, their ecosystems and the people that rely upon them for their livelihood, is of fundamental importance to both me and my department.

• I am aware of the media articles recently published that made reference to the recent internal evaluation of the Aquatic Climate Change Adaptation Services Program. Unfortunately, those articles had some important omissions.

• The Evaluation found that the program performed well and produces research of high scientific value that is needed to inform evidenced-based decision-making and respond to climate change commitments.

• The vast majority of the research projects funded by this program were in fact completed as planned and on schedule. We are proud of this program and our work on climate change science.

• Canada’s marine ecosystems are undergoing significant changes in their structure and dynamics, which are related to a combination of climate change, natural variability, and other human pressures. Oceans surrounding Canada have warmed, become more acidic, and less oxygenated, consistent with observed global ocean changes over the past century. These changes threaten the health of marine ecosystems.
• Budget 2017 provided $3.5M per year and 8 FTEs to support the ongoing renewal of DFO’s Aquatic Climate Change Adaptation Services Program (ACCASP). Through the ACCASP, DFO conducts and advances activities in three priority areas:
1. Ocean Chemistry - research and monitoring activities to understand the state and extent of changing ocean chemistry (with a focus on ocean acidification and hypoxia).
2. Vulnerability - climate vulnerability assessments of fisheries and coastal infrastructure.
3. Modelling - refinement of applied ocean models to improve forecasting of ocean conditions.

ACCASP Evaluation
• The key findings of the 2019-20 Evaluation show that:
• ACCASP responsibilities within and beyond program-specific activities have continuously increased. The climate change context, including that for DFO, is evolving and it is expected that demand for aquatic climate change science will continue to increase.
• There is strong evidence that climate change has been affecting, and will continue to affect Canada’s oceans, aquatic resources, marine ecosystems and coastal regions. The risks induced by climate change and the need to mitigate them were recently confirmed by the Federal Government’s Canada’s Climate Change Report (2019); and the Council of Canadian Academies’ Canada’s Top Climate Change Risks (2019).
• ACCASP information and tools have been used by DFO and across governments and private organizations. The broader science community in Canada and internationally also uses ACCASP research and data.
• The 2020 ACCASP Evaluation was conducted internally by the Evaluation Division of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and assessed the ACCASP’s achievements toward expected results, and the efficiency of the program in delivering on its objectives. Evidence was gathered through document and literature review, interviews, administrative data analysis, financial analysis, webometric analysis, and analysis of data obtained from the 2018-19 Evaluation of Science Funding.
• The Evaluation found that, under its current mandate and design, the ACCASP performed well, though, in the evolving climate change context, the needs for aquatic climate change science information and tools have evolved beyond the ACCASPs current priority areas.
• The Evaluation looked at funding years 2016-2017 to 2018-2019. During these periods, a total of $9.8 million in funding was awarded for 89 research projects. Of those projects, there were 7 research projects where no final report was submitted by the DFO researchers.
• The Evaluation found that information on ACCASP and the research findings are available on the Department’s website and on other platforms, including academic journal and publications. The Evaluation also concluded that the web page and reports attract reasonable traffic from a variety of sources.

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