Maintain Salmon Allocation Policy

AI summary

Petitioners ask government to keep the ‘common property’ principle in the revised Salmon Allocation Policy so salmon stay publicly managed. The government responds that salmon will remain a shared public resource under the Fisheries Act.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA WHEREAS • Sport fishers recognize First nations constitutionally protected right to fish for Food, Social and Ceremonial (FSC) purposes. They also acknowledge court ordered Indigenous Right-Based (IRB) commercial fisheries. • For generations, salmon in Canada have been managed as a Common Property Resource, held in trust by the federal government for the benefit of all Canadians; • The current Salmon Allocation Policy (SAP) upholds this principle by supporting conservation, transparency, and fair access for Indigenous, recreational, and commercial harvesters; • Proposed changes to the SAP would remove this principle and cripple the public access and stewardship interests that have driven salmon restoration programs; • Eliminating the Common Property Resource principle risks turning a shared public resource into an exclusive privilege, reducing access for many Canadians and undermining confidence in fisheries management. THEREFORE We, the undersigned citizens and permanent residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to keep the Common Property Resource principle in the revised Salmon Allocation Policy so that salmon remain a publicly managed resource, federal stewardship stays transparent and conservation-focused, and no single group is given exclusive control over access.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Fisheries Signed by Ernie Klassen The 1999 Pacific Salmon Allocation Policy sets principles for allocating salmon among First Nations, commercial, and recreational harvesters once conservation needs are met. It includes a “common property” principle, stating that salmon is a public resource managed by the federal government on behalf of all Canadians, both present and future. Pacific salmon will remain a shared public resource managed by the Government of Canada on behalf of all Canadians based on the Minister of Fisheries’ authorities granted under the?Fisheries Act?and associated regulations. Reference to “common property” in policy does not change the legal authorities that guide the management of fisheries. There have been many changes since the policy’s introduction in 1999, including: a 2018 British Columbia Supreme Court ruling in Ahousaht, which found the application of the 1999 Pacific Salmon Allocation Policy to be an unjustified infringement of five Nuu-chah-nulth Nations’ (Ahousaht, Ehattesaht, Hesquiaht, Mowachaht/Muchalaht, and Tla-o-qui-aht, or “the Five Nations”) Aboriginal rights to fish and sell fish; new conservation requirements for stocks of concern; changes to the way fisheries are managed; and new treaties and reconciliation agreements with First Nations. Fisheries and Oceans Canada initiated a comprehensive and collaborative process to review and revise the policy to provide greater clarity and align with current approaches to salmon management in British Columbia. Significant input has been gathered through an extended public consultation period and feedback received through the Salmon Allocation Policy Multi-Party Working Group, which included representatives from First Nations, the recreational fishing sector, and the commercial fishing sector. The updated policy will continue to reflect the following priorities: conservation and sustainable management (consistent with the?Wild Salmon Policy?and the?Sustainable Fisheries Framework); First Nations rights-based fisheries; and recreational and commercial fishery access (commensurate with allocation priorities and under the authority of licences granted under the?Fisheries Act). A revised Salmon Allocation Policy will not extinguish any sector’s access to the resource. No decisions have been made. Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s goal is to support a fair, transparent, and respectful process, and to ensure all updates to the policy abide by legal and constitutional obligations while prioritizing the conservation of wild salmon in British Columbia. For more information please visit the Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Salmon Allocation Policy website.