Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers' structure

Deputy Ministers' Committee

The Deputy Minister's (DM) Committee (co-chaired by the federal and rotating PT host/co-chair DMs) is responsible for the coordination and supervision of preparatory and follow-up work for meetings of the Council. The DM Committee's main responsibilities include: review and approval of agendas; monitoring the progress of annual work plans and outcomes from the Council meetings; reporting annually on the implementation of the Interjurisdictional Agreement; and, overseeing the activities of the Interjurisdictional Working Group.

Interjurisdictional Working Group

The Interjurisdictional Working Group (IWG) is composed of senior-level officials from federal/provincial/territorial governments (FPT). It is co-chaired by DFO's director of Intergovernmental Affairs along with an official from the respective department of the PT host/co-chair).

The IWG supports minister and DM-level meetings, provides an advisory role to the DM Committee, and is a coordinating body for CCFAM activities. IWG provides recommendations to the DM Committee on the creation of committees/task groups when no existing CCFAM body exists.

CCFAM Committees and Task Groups

• Strategic Management Committee on Aquaculture (SMC): Provides a federal/provincial/territorial forum for interjurisdictional collaboration, cooperation and coordination in the governance and strategic development of aquaculture in Canada.
• National Aquatic invasive Species Committee (NAISC): Provides coordination of aquatic invasive species management and control activities through inter-jurisdictional planning and cooperation. NAISC also supports ongoing work related to aquatic invasive species (AIS), in particular implementation of the Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations.
• Inland Fisheries Committee (IFC): Provides a forum for interjurisdictional communication and cooperation to address common inland fisheries issues, including recreational fisheries and inland commercial fisheries in jurisdictions where these occur. The Committee ensures full collaboration, maintains good coordination, and ensures multilateral support for growing, vibrant, and sustainable inland fisheries that contribute to the economic prosperity of rural, inland and coastal communities, Indigenous peoples, and the overall Canadian economy.
• Economic Development Task Group (ETDG): This task group is a forum for communication and collaboration to address economic development of the fish and seafood sector with a focus on positioning the sector post-COVID. The task group provides strategic advice and recommendations and provide a forum for policy discussions on fish and seafood issues with an aim to enable and contribute to the economic resiliency and prosperity of the Canadian fish and seafood sector.
• Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Committee (FFHPC): This committee enables FPT collaboration on the regulatory and policy framework to successfully implement the fish and fish habitat protection provisions of the Fisheries Act (2019) and relevant provisions of theSpecies at Risk Act (SARA). It shares information, updates, and best practices on issues and approaches associated with the conservation and protection of fish and fish habitat.
• Committee on Climate Change (CCC): This new committee serves as a consultative body to provide advice and recommendations to other committees and Ministers to help foster the fisheries and aquaculture sector’s sustainable development and innovation in a changing climate. It also identifies policy issues of shared responsibility related to the impacts of climate change in the areas of fish, fish habitats, aquaculture and fisheries within Canada and make recommendations on how CCFAM can work together in these areas.