Port Colborne, Ontario - The Great Lakes are critically important to Canadians, to our environment, and to our economy. Through Budget 2022: A plan to Grow Our Economy and Make Life More Affordable, the Government of Canada is making strategic investments to protect our freshwater fishery resources, the economies, and people who rely upon them.
Today, on behalf of the Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, Vance Badawey, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services and Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, highlighted an investment of $44.9 million over five years to support delivery and coordination of science research, fisheries management, and invasive sea lamprey control activities. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) delivers the Canadian portion of the Commission's sea lamprey control effort in the Great Lakes.
Through the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the Commission's secretariat, multiple provincial and state governments, agencies and advisors, Canada and the US work closely together to control sea lamprey populations, conduct scientific research, and protect the sustainability of the Great Lakes fishery.
The Great Lakes contain almost 20 per cent of the world's surface freshwater, are shared by Canada and the US, are the basis for billions of dollars in economic activity, and are vital to the well-being of communities on both sides of the border. It is crucial that we work alongside our domestic and US partners to protect our Great Lakes and the aquatic life that depend on them.
