Question Period Note: 2021-22 Supplementary Estimates ( C)

2021-22 Supplementary Estimates ( C)

These Supplementary Estimates, the final for fiscal 2021-22 and second being presented following the 44th general election, are seeking a total increase of $243.2 million to the Department’s authorities.

Of this amount, $238.8 million and $4.4 million are being sought respectively for our voted and statutory appropriations.

The $238.8 million sought through voted appropriations is primarily for the: Small Craft Harbours Program; Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative; and, response and remediation efforts to the Bligh Island marine pollution incident.

Small Craft Harbours Program ($148.4 million)
This new funding, as announced in Budget 2021, will be used to supplement the Small Craft Harbour Program to accelerate repair and maintenance work at core Small Craft Harbours across Canada, divest non-core harbours and close inactive non-core harbours that are unsafe but cannot be divested.

This initiative will ensure that the harbour network is right sized for the user base and that the commercial fishing industry has access to safe and accessible harbours.

This funding will support Canadians in the fishing, aquaculture, tourism, environmental, recreational, marine engineering, and construction industries, and strengthen the resilience of rural and coastal communities.

Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative ($36.8 million)
This funding will be used to further advance the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, which aims to provide a long-term strategy to stem declining trends in the Pacific salmon stocks.

The overall results are to make the commercial Pacific salmon harvesting sector in Pacific Region more adaptive and resilient, enhance relationships with involvement of and outcomes for Indigenous people, and improve salmon conservation through effective stewardship and integrated ecosystem planning.

Pacific salmon are some of the most iconic fish species in Canada, with social, cultural, and economic significance for many communities in BC and Yukon, impacting Indigenous, commercial, and recreational fishers.

Response and Remediation efforts to the Bligh Island marine pollution incident ($31.3 million)
In late 2020-21 the Department responded to a petroleum leak in the Motor Vessel (MV) Schiedyk, a vessel that sank on the west coast of Vancouver Island in 1968. The response included the removal of 60 tonnes of pollutants from the ship and surrounding waters.

As a result of the response operation, there is a requirement to offset the costs of response efforts as well as replace fundamental equipment essential in re-establishing CCG’s preparedness for future environmental emergencies.

• These Supplementary Estimates are the final planned supplementary exercise for 2021-22. They represent the second opportunity for the Department to seek Parliamentary approval for supplemental funding following September’s 44th general election.
• These Supplementary Estimates (C) are presenting a total increase of $243.2 million, which is comprised of $238.8 million and $4.4 million in voted and statutory appropriations respectively.
• The $238.8 million in voted authorities includes 20 items, including transfers to/from other departments, and represents an increase to our spending levels, over and above what was approved in the Main Estimates.
• The increase to our voted authorities is mainly attributed to:
• Funding for the Small Craft Harbours Program ($148.4 million);
• Funding for the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative ($36.8 million); and
• Funding for the response and remediation efforts to the Bligh Island marine pollution incident ($31.3 million).

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