The Senate had already exhausted its Order Paper for the day, and was recessed until the big show as ready to get underway. When Fisheries minister Hunter Tootoo arrived and the Chamber reconvened in Committee of the Whole, so that Tootoo could be on the floor of the chamber, things got underway. Senator Carignan led off, asking about the promise for marine protected areas, and whether there would be compensation for fishers who could no longer fish in these waters. Tootoo first wanted to note that he was honoured to appear before them, and noted his years of service in a consensus-based government made it even more fitting that he was the first minister to answer questions there. Tootoo then turned to the question, and spoke about working with local communities and industries that are affected. Carignan noted that consultation was one thing, but compensation was another. Tootoo said that protecting these areas was the right thing for Canada, and because the process would be open, there would be no surprises.

Senator Cowan was up next, and noted the replacement of the Coast Guard fleet. Tootoo read off the plans for ships being replaced, along with helicopters and other craft. Cowan asked for a copy of the delivery schedule that could be tabled in the Chamber, which Tootoo agreed to do.

Senator Manning asked about the regulatory regime for aquaculture, and the recommendations of the Senate committee’s report. Tootoo noted again his consultations, and noted that he was open to the recommendations in the report.

Senator Moore asked for some particulars around his meetings with fisheries stakeholders. Tootoo noted conversations around environmental stewardship, sustainable development, and fisheries management. Moore wondered when the meeting of the ministers’ council was supposed to happen, to which Tootoo said that it was supposed to be in June, but he didn’t want to wait that long so it happened a couple of weeks ago in Montreal.

Senator Wallace noted that Tootoo was the first cabinet minister to answer questions in the Senate — not actually true, given the government leader is usually a cabinet minister — before he asked about the government’s plans for an independent Senate. Tootoo noted that it really wasn’t his call.

Senator Stewart Olsen asked about advisory groups on herring stocks, and Tootoo repeated his ongoing consultations.

Senator Hubley asked about aquaculture research, and about the need for a formal mechanism for the department to interact with the provinces. Tootoo said that he had reached out to provinces, territories, and industry for how to better collaborate on aquaculture-related science.

Senator McInnis asked about the previous government’s report on salmon conservation, and progress on the changes being implemented. Tootoo said that the department officials were still looking into it, but promised to table a written response. McInnis rose again, and asked about the impact on tourism. Tootoo agreed that they need to protect stocks and that better surveillance helps. Senator Day followed up, asking about the international aspects of the problem, where genetic analysis showed Atlantic salmon from Greenland originated from Canadian locations. Tootoo said that he had been consulted on the issue.

Senator Wells asked about surf clam license holders, and the reversal of a decision on opening up the new entrants decision of the previous government. Tootoo said that he put it on hold until there could be more consultation and analysis. Wells wanted a timeline, and Tootoo said that he was waiting for consultations to be completed.

Overall, it was an interesting experiment, and it seemed to go fairly well, but it was different than Senate QP tends to go. The flow was vastly different, and because the 30-minute clock was still in place, and there was a long list of people who wanted to ask questions, it was a much faster pace than it tends to be. As well, the usual pace of unlimited supplemental questions to really dig into an issue was gone, meaning that this was much more in keeping with how a Commons QP would run, which was disappointing. Tootoo himself, a very gracious and humble person, is still one of the weaker QP performers in the Commons, and relies on his notes far more than most of his colleagues. While he was very reliant on the notes in this experiment, he did gain steam as he went along, and started answering with much more ease toward the end. We’ll see what the next ministerial visit will be like, as they sound like they want this to be a weekly issue.

Also, let me say once again, that despite everyone saying this was the first time a Minister has appeared in Senate QP, that’s completely wrong. Yes, it’s the first time they did it in this particularly hybrid form, but we’ve had ministers in the Senate since Confederation. The Leader of the Government in the Senate is traditionally a cabinet position. Every now and again, ministers were drawn from the Senate ranks, and we’ve even had two prime minsters who were sitting senators. So please, stop this claim.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Senator Lillian Eva Dyck for her fitted red leather jacket with a white shirt and black trousers, and to Senator David Wells for a tailored black suit with a crisp white shirt and red tie. Style citations go out to Senator Fabian Manning for a black suit with a solid blue shirt and yellowish tie, and to Senator Salma Ataullahjan for a busy floral jacket over a green top.