Question Period Note: Permitting

• The Government of Canada is taking action to get major projects built faster. My Department is committed to supporting these efforts while continuing to protect fish and fish habitat, and in alignment with Canada’s obligations to Indigenous peoples.
• As a key federal regulator, my Department is working with other relevant departments to support this whole-of-government priority to get projects built faster, while upholding rigour when it comes to environmental protection and Indigenous consultation and participation.

· Fisheries and Oceans Canada administers and ensures compliance with the fish and fish habitat protection provisions of the Fisheries Act and relevant provisions under the Species at Risk Act for major projects taking place in and around fish habitat.
· The Minister may issue authorizations under paragraphs 34.4(2)(b) and/or 35(2)(b) of the Fisheries Act following a site-specific review for works, undertakings, or activities that pose, respectively, a risk of death of fish by means other than fishing or the harmful alteration, disruption, or destruction of fish habitat. The authorization, when appropriate, may contain conditions for offsetting, monitoring, and reporting. If species at risk are present, additional conditions under SARA must be met to ensure their survival and recovery are not jeopardized before a SARA-compliant Fisheries Act authorization can be issued.
· The Department is responsible for meeting the duty to consult, and when appropriate, accommodate, in relation to potential impacts on Aboriginal and Treaty rights related to authorizations or permits that may be issued under the Fisheries Act or the SARA.
· The Department has specific legislative responsibilities in relation to federal environmental assessment regimes including, among others, the Impact Assessment Act, and regimes in the territories and under land claims agreements.
· As a federal authority for impact assessments, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) provides expert information or knowledge in relation to its mandate. DFO may be a decision maker for projects under regimes in the territories and under land claims agreements.
· In June 2024, the Government of Canada published the Action Plan “Building Canada’s Clean Future” and in July 2024, published the Cabinet Directive on Regulatory and Permitting Efficiency for Clean Growth Projects. Taken together, these documents contain measures that will reduce duplication, improve predictability, and increase the overall efficiency of our regulatory system. Along with other relevant federal entities, DFO is working toward the implementation of the Cabinet Directive and the Action Plan.

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