l», NDMISISIK MION 



Iliis arrangement has apparently lelt a void in the repre- 

 sentation o\ the I'aeilii. legion in Ottawa, thereby aggra- 

 vating the problem it was inteinled to alleviate" and 

 eonfusing lines of responsiblity in Vancouver. I therefore 

 recommend that 



I. IIk" {AVkv of IIk- .Vvsislaiil IK'piit> Minister f«)r the 

 Pacific rc};it)n sImxiUI Ik- locale<l in Ottawa. 



lilsewhere. I recommend other measures to focus 

 Ottawa's attention on, and facilitate its management of. 

 Pacific fisheries. I suggest legislative changes in Chapter 

 21 that would give the Pacific region's Director General 

 greater responsibilities and flexibility in managing the 

 fisheries. 1 suggest in Chapter 20 that the \'iikon fisheries 

 might be better served if responsibility for that territory 

 were shifted from the Pacific to the Western region. TTiis 

 would leave the Pacific region's attention focused on Brit- 

 ish Columbia. And in Chapter 18 I propose a framework 

 for ctxiperation between the provincial and federal gov- 

 ernments. 



Regional Priorities 



Some of the concern about the Pacific region's repre- 

 sentation in Ottawa is rooted in the view that this region 

 receives lower priority than the Atlantic at the political 



servants."' '" Statistical indicators also lend to support it. 

 I able 19-3 shows that (.hiring (he last fiscal year the 

 I'acilic region received less than one-third of the regional 

 manpower and fund allcx;ations including tht)se for the 

 Salmoniil P.nhaiicemeni Program. I'xckKling the latter, 

 the Pacific received only about 1.*^ percent of the regional 

 budget allocations, and other regions and headquarters 

 have received much larger increases during the last 

 twelve years. In at least one Atlantic province the 

 expenditures on fisheries have been estimated to be more 

 than the total value of landings." 



These figures do not in themselves prove a misalloca- 

 tion of resources among regions; resources should be dis- 

 tributed according to needs and potential benefits. None- 

 theless, other facts support that conclusion: the region 

 accounts for more than a quarter of the total value of 

 Canada's commercial fish production and most of the 

 sportfishing administered by the Department; its geo- 

 graphical area of land and water is larger than those of 

 the four Atlantic provinces combined, and much of it is 

 remote and inaccessible; its resources are, for the most 

 part, much more demanding in terms of day-to-day man- 

 agement and habitat protection requirements; and in 

 contrast to marine stocks elsewhere that are managed for 

 their natural yields. Pacific salmon and some other spe- 

 cies afford much greater opportunities for increased pro- 



Table 19-3 The Pacific Region's share of the Department's manpower and budget" 



including Salnmnid 

 Enhancement Program'' 



excluding Salmonid Enhancement Program'' 



percent increase 

 since 1%9/70 



manpower 



40 

 11 

 35 



budget 



~980~ 

 250 

 600 



and senior bureaucratic levels. Several factors could con- 

 tribute to such a situation: fishing is a much more impor- 

 tant component of the regional economy of the Atlantic 

 than of the Pacific, fishermen earn lower incomes and 

 have fewer occupational alternatives; the Atlantic regions 

 have five provinces with keen interests in fishing, each 

 with its own Minister of Fisheries, while the Pacific 

 region consists of one province with no such specialized 

 minister; and many more Members of Parliament come 

 from Atlantic constituencies. In addition, subtle histori- 

 cal factors and political traditions keep Atlantic fisher- 

 men in closer communication with politicians and fisher- 

 ies administrators in Ottawa. 



This view about priorities was confirmed at my public 

 hearings by Members of Parliament and public 



duction through improved management, research and 

 production. 



For these reasons, I am concerned about the provisions 

 for the Pacific region. I hasten to add that I have not 

 been instructed to review Canada's nation-wide provi- 

 sions for fisheries administration, which is the context 

 within which such judgements must be made. I therefore 

 recommend that — 



2. The manpower and financial resources provided to the 

 Pacific region relative to other regions, and to the 

 Ottawa headquarters of the Department, should be 

 thoroughly assessed in the context of a financial and 

 adniiiustrative review of the Department (described 

 below). 



