QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Canadian Heritage
Marine Protected Areas
September 25, 2025
Minister, my office has been dealing with some issues related to proposed marine protected areas, or MPAs, in the Campobello Island, Deer Island and Bay of Fundy areas of New Brunswick. When my office reached out to the Office of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, they directed us to the Secretary of State for Nature as the lead on the file, who falls under your portfolio at Heritage.
Can you provide this chamber with some rationale for the machinery of government change that puts marine protected areas under the authority of the Department of Canadian Heritage while officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, or DFO, in Halifax are the ones handling all the regional MPA files and related consultations with local stakeholders?
Thank you for the question. I think there’s probably some confusion. Maybe I can try to shed some light on this. I can confirm that as of now, the establishment of marine protected areas, also known as MPAs, remains under the purview of the Minister of Fisheries.
That being said, you are correct that as part of my new mandate, I’m the minister responsible for Parks Canada and the minister responsible for nature.
Parks Canada is now back under the responsibility of the Department of Canadian Heritage, which is where it was initially created in 1994. We work in close collaboration with different departments — like Parks Canada, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Environment and Climate Change Canada — on conservation projects, whether they’re terrestrial or marine. It’s very rare that a department will work alone on a project, but for MPAs, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is the leader.
Minister, it’s an important file to me from that area, and fishing is directly affected. Local fishermen’s associations have not been getting answers from DFO about their concerns for at least a couple of years now.
Just two days ago, the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association met with DFO on the MPA file and asked them about the machinery change. DFO said they weren’t aware of what the plans were and still could not provide information to address their concerns.
I’m worried officials in headquarters and in the regions are not talking to each other, nor do they have the direction to enable them to do their job in speaking with their clients.
Minister, I think you clarified who has the lead, but is it DFO or Heritage? Who can Members of the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association turn to when they have concerns that must be heard and considered? Will you commit to providing clarification for these Canadians?
The lead department for the creation of marine protected areas is the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. I can certainly reach out to my colleague Minister Thompson to ensure that she follows up and those fishermen get answers to their questions.
