ENGO-DFO National Fish Habitat Coordinating Committee
Consultation
The purpose of the National Fish Habitat Coordinating Committee (NFHCC) is to provide a forum at the national level for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' (DFO) Habitat Management Program and the environmental NGO (ENGO) community to share information and perspectives as well as to facilitate progress on common priorities related to the protection of fish habitat.
New Report
This report is a synthesis of five workshops held between 2006 and 2009 that engaged over 100 ENGOs and DFO in substantive discussions about the delivery of the Habitat Management Program. The opportunities and recommendations in the report represent significant contributions to potential policy and program improvement towards better protection of fish habitat in Canada.
Context
Canadian environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs) are tasked with giving a voice to Canada’s land, water, air and living species. As part of this objective, they make efforts to ensure Canada’s regulatory agencies are acting to enforce environmental regulations and to address gaps in current regulatory regimes. It is within this context that many ENGOs are interested in the mandate and responsibilities of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).
On October 11th and 12th 2006, representatives from several Canadian ENGOs through a request to the Canadian Environmental Network (RCEN) had a seminal meeting with representatives from the Habitat Management Program (HMP) of the DFO to share information, voice concerns and foster a stronger, more open working relationship.
In closing the October 2006 meeting, Director General Richard Wex noted, “This relationship is important for us to be better aware and to better understand the perspectives that you [ENGOs] bring to the table so that we can have better informed policy decisions, and so that you [ENGOs] can better understand the nature of our program, and understand the art of the possible.”
In January 2007, the Executive Director of the RCEN and the Director General of the DFO Habitat Management Directorate signed a Terms of Reference to direct their co-operative efforts to coordinate activities that allow ENGOs belonging to the RCEN to gather input from and share information with other interested ENGOs from across Canada and report to DFO’s Habitat Management Program.
The Terms of Reference established the joint DFO-ENGO National Fish Habitat Coordinating Committee (NFHCC) to manage the initiative, and committed the parties to jointly support an annual work plan and budget approved by the Executive Director of the RCEN and the Director General of the DFO Habitat Management Directorate.
Selected ENGO Delegates:
- Susanna D. Fuller (Ecology Action Centre)*
- Krystyn Tully (Lake Ontario Waterkeeper)*
- Cliff Wallis (Alberta Wilderness Association)
- John Werring (David Suzuki Foundation), ENGO Co-Chair
- Alternate: Pierre Latraverse (Stratégies Saint-Laurent)*
- On parental leave: Anne-Marie Turgeon (Nature-Québec)
* denotes delegate was selected in July 2011
NFHCC Terms of Reference
Workplans
Annual Reports
- 2009-10 DFO-ENGO NFHCC Final Report
- 2008-09 DFO-ENGO NFHCC Final Report
- 2007-08 DFO-ENGO NFHCC Final Report
NFHCC Meetings
- March 29, 2010 DFO-ENGO NFHCC Face-to-face in Ottawa
- November 4, 2009 DFO-ENGO NFHCC Face-to-face in Dartmouth
- March 26, 2009 DFO-ENGO NFHCC Face-to-face Meeting in Ottawa
- October 31, 2008 DFO-ENGO NFHCC Face-to-face Meeting in Ottawa
- February 4, 2008 DFO-ENGO NFHCC Face-to-face in Calgary
- November 6, 2007 DFO-ENGO NFHCC Face-to-face in Gatineau
- February 23, 2007 DFO-ENGO NFHCC Face-to-face in Ottawa
Workshop Proceedings and Reports
- November 5-6, 2009 ENGO-DFO Maritime Provinces Workshop in Tamagouche, NS
- February 4-5, 2009 ENGO-DFO Prairie Regional Workshop: Collaboration on Fish Habitat in Calgary
- November 5-6, 2007 ENGO-DFO National Workshop on Fish Habitat in Gatineau
- March 12-14, 2007 Pacific Region Advocacy and Stewardship Groups / DFO Workshop to Discuss the Environmental Processes Modernization Plan on Vancouver Island
- October 11-12, 2006 ENGO-DFO National Workshop: Habitat Protection and the Fisheries Act in Ottawa
PowerPoint Presentations
- May 11, 2010 RCEN Presentation to DFO Director General in Ottawa
- October 31, 2008 ENGO NFHCC Presentation to DFO Associate Deputy Minister in Ottawa
- February 23, 2007 DFO-ENGO NFHCC Face-to-face in Ottawa DFO Presentation
DFO Publications
- Aboriginal Consultation and Accomodation: Interim Guidelines for Federal Officials to Fulfill the Legal Duty to Consult, February 2008
- Consultation Framework for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, March 2004
- Consultation Toolbox: A Guide to Undertaking Consultations March 2004
Other Resources
- August 22, 2008 DFO Workshop Report: Toward an Ecosystem-based Approach to Assessing and Managing Impacts on Fish and Fish Habitat in association with 138th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society
- The Federal Prosecution Service Deskbook (Department of Justice): Chapter 26, Private Prosecutions
- Environmental Bureau of Investigation’s Citizens Guide to Environmental Investigation and Private Prosecution
- Environmental Law Centre’s Online Publications Catalogue (includes ‘Enforcing Environmental Law: A Guide to Private Prosecution, Second Edition’)
- Budget information for the Government of Canada, including Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- DFO Habitat Compliance Protocol – January 2007
For more information, contact Daniel Casselman, RCEN National Caucus Coordinator, tel.: (613) 728-9810 ext. 236 or visit the DFO website.
