Ban foreign licence and quota transfers

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to ban transfers of commercial fishing licences and quotas to foreign owners or beneficial interests immediately. The government responds that DFO is reviewing and consulting before changes.

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

Official petition

PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED We, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons in Parliament Assembled to the following: Whereas: DFO's mandate includes promoting the stability and economic viability of fishing operations; Canadian owner-operator fish harvesters are increasingly displaced by foreign acquisition of Canada's commercial fishing licenses and quotas; Canada does not currently have any limitation on foreign ownership of commercial fishing licenses and quotas in the Pacific Region; Canada does not record or track citizenship within transactions of fishing licenses and quotas; The absence of restrictions on foreign ownership of commercial fishing licenses and quotas damages the economic viability of Canadian- owned fishing operations, harvesters and their families, and coastal communities; Foreign investment in Canadian commercial fisheries is in direct competition with DFO and First Nations' pursuit of acquisition of fishing licenses and quotas thereby compounding challenges related to meeting reconciliation objectives; Foreign ownership of commercial fishing access compromises domestic food security and is directly linked to economic losses of domestic fish processing and processing jobs in Canada; and The House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans' 2019 Report on Sharing Risks and Benefits recommends "That based on the principle that fish in Canadian waters are a resource for Canadians (i.e. common property), no future sales of fishing quota and/or licenses be to non-Canadian beneficial owners based on the consideration of issues of legal authority, and international agreement/trade impacts." Therefore, we, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to immediately ban any further transfer of Canadian commercial fishing licenses and quotas to foreign ownership or foreign beneficial interest.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Fisheries Signed by Ernie Klassen Fisheries and Oceans Canada takes the challenges being described in this petition seriously. The Department is acutely aware that harvesters in Pacific fisheries are concerned about control and consolidation of commercial access amongst foreign-owned fisheries participants. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has advanced the foundational work required to better understand the extent of foreign control of commercial fishing access, initiated region-wide engagement with First Nations and stakeholders to discuss a variety of interconnected fishery concerns, and is conducting ongoing analysis. In 2019, Fisheries and Oceans Canada launched a review of foreign ownership policies in commercial fisheries. In 2021, Fisheries and Oceans Canada enhanced the implementation of its 51 per cent Canadian ownership minimum for Atlantic and Quebec midshore, offshore, and exempted fleet fisheries, ensuring the requirement would be applied to the full corporate structure. In 2022, Fisheries and Oceans Canada launched the mandatory Beneficial Ownership Survey to identify who is benefitting from commercial fishing access. The Survey’s results were published in September 2023, indicating that 98 per cent of respondents were entirely beneficially-owned by Canadians. Fisheries and Oceans Canada then turned its attention to indirect means of controlling commercial fishing access, such as through private leasing agreements. Recognizing the concerns these agreements raise, the Department committed to deepening its understanding of licence and quota leasing practices before considering any policy changes. In 2023, Fisheries and Oceans Canada launched a Pacific Region-wide engagement with First Nations and key stakeholders through the West Coast Commercial Fisheries Modernization. The West Coast Commercial Fisheries Modernization responds to calls for: more balanced representation on advisory boards, increased transparency around socio-economic data and licence/quota holdings, foreign ownership limits, as well as development of ‘made-in-British Columbia' policy and licensing solutions to support fisheries participants and the flow of benefits to coastal communities. Fisheries and Oceans Canada held 75 bilateral meetings with First Nations and industry stakeholders through the latter half of 2024, and most recently held six regional multi-party workshops in February 2025. The discussions on foreign ownership at these West Coast Commercial Fisheries Modernization engagements yielded a variety of views on the degree of impact that foreign ownership has on Pacific commercial fisheries. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is conducting ongoing analysis on foreign ownership by exploring licence and quota leasing practices in Pacific Region to better understand the indirect control of commercial access, and how it might influence what a “made-in-British Columbia” approach to updating fisheries management policies could look like. Further West Coast Commercial Fisheries Modernization engagements will take into account the feedback heard to date, specifically that a fishery-specific approach to stakeholder concerns is prudent given the unique evolution of west coast fisheries and the business operating environments of each fishery. Based on feedback from the engagements that have already taken place, in January 2026 the Minister of Fisheries set out 2 objectives to guide future work: support working harvesters to have more control over their fishing activities to keep a greater share of the benefits from their fishing effort modernize the licensing regime to support harvesters in pursuing their business objectives and adapting to change Fisheries and Oceans Canada will continue to conduct additional analysis and meaningful engagement before any changes are made to existing licensing regimes. See here for more information on West coast commercial fisheries modernization: West coast commercial fisheries modernization: Engaging on commercial fisheries policy and licensing