Ottawa – Following a study on the Great Lakes Fishery Commission this fall, the Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans is urging Global Affairs Canada to fix “unacceptable” problems with the commission’s funding and administration as the department assumes responsibility for the binational authority.

The commission, run jointly by Canada and the United States, was established in 1954 so the two countries could better manage and protect the Great Lakes’ commercial, recreational and tribal fisheries, promote science and research, and improve control of the invasive sea lamprey, a parasitic bloodsucker that destroys valuable fish stocks.

During its study, the committee learned the Great Lakes Fishery Commission over the last two decades, was not provided with the full amount of the funding that the Canadian government had intended for Fisheries and Oceans Canada to deliver to the commission, and that Canada was obliged to deliver under it’s bilateral funding agreement with the United States. This chronic underfunding caused meetings between Canadian and American commissioners to cease temporarily, left certain Canadian commissioner positions vacant for several years, and jeopardized science and research projects. The committee was also alarmed by testimony about Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s poor management practices in its role as administrator of the commission.

In a letter sent Friday, November 15, 2024, to Canada’s foreign affairs and fisheries and oceans ministers, the committee said these issues are utterly unacceptable and should never occur again.

On October 18, 2024, Canadian responsibility for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission was transferred from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to Global Affairs Canada. The committee applauds this move, but believes more work remains for a successful ministerial transition by end of year. Senators called on Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly to improve transparency and to ensure this important commission has financial and administrative stability.

Associated Links

• Watch or read witness testimony from the committee’s study.
• Follow the committee on social media using the hashtag #POFO.
• Subscribe to email alerts for Senate committees.
• Sign up for the Senate eNewsletter.

For more information:

Monica Granados
Communications Officer | Senate of Canada
343-550-5448 | monica.granados@sen.parl.gc.ca