Protecting and Improving the Salmonid Enhancement Program

Above: Helping the Seymour Salmonid Society move trapped salmon over the rock slide on the Seymour River

The Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP) has been an important part of student education and habitat preservation in Burnaby and North Vancouver for the past 40 years.

As the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, I was proud to announce that we are continuing the SEP. Not only that, we are increasing funding as part of the new $75 million Coastal Restoration Fund.

Perhaps the most influential element of the SEP, the Salmon in the Classroom program, has taught young students that salmon are the lifeblood of the place that we call home. I know I have fond memories from when I was an elementary school student, studying the lifecycle of salmon from eggs and alevins to fry. I know firsthand that this program instills in students a sense of the importance of conservation and habitat preservation. It does so while also teaching them about the biology and greater ecosystems of wild pacific salmon.

We can celebrate knowing that this outcome is the result of students writing letters and getting engaged, as well as parents, teachers, conservationists, and other members of our community working with us to set the right priorities. As your Member of Parliament, I firmly believe that it is my obligation to express the views of the people I represent. It was clear to me, and my colleagues in British Columbia, that the Salmonid Enhancement Program had to stay.

I am proud to represent a community that stands up for what it believes in. I want to thank everyone in North Vancouver and Burnaby for getting engaged in such a positive way.