Fisheries and Oceans Canada

FOI via central portal

Current this library's internal records: Fisheries and Oceans Canada's 2026-27 Departmental Plan (2027)

Completeness

• Document shelf: 19 rows (19 archived · 0 staged · 0 pending · 0 missing)
• Backgrounder: on file
• Strategy-evolution brief: on file
• Custody audit: 19 of 19 row(s) audited, all clean
• Last verified: 2026-08-03 · this org has NOT had a full discovery-verification pass (our discovery-verification log)

Endpoints

• Website
• Open data: checked — none found
• API: checked — none found
• RSS: checked — none found
• Newsroom: checked — none found
• FOI / access requests: checked — none found

Document shelf (19 rows)

Backgrounder

Source: this library's internal records — a mechanical research draft, not independently reviewed for publication; reproduced as-is.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada - backgrounder

Backgrounder / 2026-07-30 / registry row: fed-fisheries-oceans-canada (this library's government-document registry) / lens file for this org's series briefs

Mandate & statutory basis

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is established under s.2(1) of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-15: "a department of the Government of Canada ... over which the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans appointed by commission under the Great Seal shall preside" (https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/F-15/FullText.html, fetched and verified; registry row fed-fisheries-oceans-canada). DFO also administers the Fisheries Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-14, and the Oceans Act.

Roles, responsibilities & scope

Section 4(1) of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Act extends the Minister's authority to sea coast and inland fisheries, fishing and recreational harbours, hydrography and marine sciences, and coordination of federal ocean policy (same source). DFO's own site groups its work into fisheries management, aquaculture, oceans/marine conservation, marine safety and search-and-rescue through the Canadian Coast Guard, aquatic-habitat science, and Indigenous programs (https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/index-eng.htm, fetched).

Governance & reporting line

A federal department presided over by the Minister of Fisheries (currently Joanne Thompson), with a Deputy Minister as deputy head; the Canadian Coast Guard operates within DFO under its own Commissioner (https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/F-15/FullText.html, fetched; https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/index-eng.htm, fetched).

Budget scale

~$1.89B planned spending for 2026-27 ($1,885,760,141 including internal services), 6,892 planned full-time-equivalent staff; DFO is also implementing planned reductions of $54.5M (2026-27) rising to $193.8M (2028-29) under a government-wide Comprehensive Expenditure Review, per Fisheries and Oceans Canada's 2026-27 Departmental Plan (registry strategy_current_url: https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/dp-pm/2026-27/index-eng.html).

Institutional history

Created April 2, 1979 as a standalone department (splitting fisheries/marine functions out of the former Department of Fisheries and the Environment), evolving from the 1867 Department of Marine and Fisheries via the Department of Fisheries (1930) and Department of Fisheries and Environment (1971) (Library of Parliament, "Fisheries and Oceans" profile, https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/Federal/areasResponsibility/profile?depId=3018, WebSearch-confirmed).

Strategy evolution brief

Source: this library's internal records — a mechanical research draft, not independently reviewed for publication; reproduced as-is.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada - strategy evolution

2026-08-01 / registry: fed-fisheries-oceans-canada / grounded in archived copies (cited document id + sha256) / read through our research file for that body

TL;DR: Eight of 19 archived documents (all FY2003-04 through FY2016-17) are unreadable redirect stubs, so grounded coverage runs FY2017-18 through FY2026-27. The biggest addition across that span is the "Refocusing Government Spending initiative," appearing for the first time in dp-2026 as a driver of planned FTE cuts (-1,644 in 2026-27 alone); the biggest quietly-dropped item is the 25%-by-2025 ocean-conservation target, which dp-2026 drops from its language without acknowledging that actual coverage reached only 15.54% — a miss of roughly nine to ten points. The load-bearing number is the limit-reference-point fish-stock target ("at least 52% of key stocks"), which was missed in all three reported years (50%, 44%, 45%). The open question: dp-2026 itself forecasts $5,085,702,711 and 13,103 FTEs for 2026-27, but the backgrounder's citation of the actual 2026-27 Departmental Plan reports $1,885,760,141 and 6,892 FTEs for the same year — a roughly 63% spending gap this archive cannot explain, since the real FY2026-27 plan isn't part of the archived series.

Backgrounder summary

DFO is established under s.2(1) of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-15, with the Minister's authority under s.4(1) extending to sea coast and inland fisheries, fishing/recreational harbours, hydrography and marine sciences, and coordination of federal ocean policy; it also administers the Fisheries Act and the Oceans Act. It groups its work into fisheries management, aquaculture, oceans/marine conservation, marine safety and search-and-rescue (through the Canadian Coast Guard, a Special Operating Agency with its own Commissioner), aquatic-habitat science, and Indigenous programs. Current minister: Joanne Thompson. Budget scale per the backgrounder's cited (non-archived) 2026-27 Departmental Plan: ~$1.89B planned spending ($1,885,760,141 including internal services), 6,892 planned FTEs, with planned Comprehensive Expenditure Review reductions of $54.5M (2026-27) rising to $193.8M (2028-29). Institutional history: created April 2, 1979 as a standalone department, tracing back through the Department of Fisheries and Environment (1971), the Department of Fisheries (1930), and the 1867 Department of Marine and Fisheries. None of this pre-2017 history is corroborated by the archived series read for this brief (see Residuals & gaps).

Series inventory

19 documents are registered: 16 departmental-plan (RPP/DP) editions and 3 results-report (DPR/DRR) editions. 8 of the 19 — all from 2003-04 through 2016-17 — extracted successfully at the pipeline level (status "ok") but captured only the publications.gc.ca "Information Archived on the Web" bilingual interstitial redirect page (~800 chars), not the underlying PDF text. These are not usable as content sources. All 9 HTML-native documents from FY2017-18 onward, plus the two results reports for 2023-24 and 2024-25, extracted with full readable text.

Priority evolution

2017-18 (dp-2018, e57efef3fc26), Minister Dominic LeBlanc: DFO still reported under the pre-2018 Treasury Board architecture — three "strategic outcomes" (Economically Prosperous Maritime Sectors and Fisheries; Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems; Safe and Secure Waters) delivered through numbered Programs (1.1 Integrated Fisheries Management, 1.2 Aboriginal Strategies and Governance, 1.3 Sustainable Aquaculture, ... 3.8 Ocean Forecasting). Five stated organizational priorities: improved marine safety and ocean protection; a cleaner and sustainable environment; investments in science; reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples; operational improvements. Headline commitments: implement the Oceans Protection Plan (with Transport Canada and ECCC); meet the 5%-by-2017 marine-conservation target and build toward 10%-by-2020; act on Cohen Commission recommendations for Fraser River sockeye; review the 2012-13 Fisheries Act/Navigable Waters Protection Act changes "to restore lost protections"; consult on a new federal Aquaculture Act; National Shipbuilding Strategy deliveries (two lifeboats, one offshore fisheries science vessel, seven medium-lift helicopters) (e57efef3fc26).

2018-19 (dp-2019, 0b6321eee26e), LeBlanc: Structural break — DFO adopts a four-"Core Responsibility" framework (Fisheries; Aquatic Ecosystems; Marine Navigation; Marine Operations and Response) that replaces the strategic-outcomes/numbered-program architecture and persists in every subsequent document through 2025-26. Total planned departmental spending for 2018-19: $2,445,624,500 (0b6321eee26e).

2019-20 (dp-2020, 827f8ca1cfff), Minister Jonathan Wilkinson: Fall 2018 creation of a new, stand-alone DFO-Coast Guard Arctic Region ("created collaboratively with Indigenous and Northern partners") is reported as an ongoing organizational build-out, with a Regional Director General and Assistant Commissioner in place. Fisheries Act amendments (Bill C-68) are treated as enacted, restoring "lost protections" and adding an online permit/authorization registry and fish-stock provisions. February 2018's $167.4M (starting 2018-19) for three endangered whale species (North Atlantic Right Whale, Southern Resident Killer Whale, St. Lawrence Estuary Beluga) is being deployed. Ongoing Great Lakes work: Asian carp gap analysis, sea lamprey suppression with the Province of Ontario and U.S. agencies, Lake Huron barrier infrastructure (827f8ca1cfff).

2020-21 (dp-2021, 6f608886df27), Minister Bernadette Jordan: Two major new mandate commitments appear for the first time: (1) developing a comprehensive Blue Economy Strategy; (2) a new ocean-conservation target of 25% by 2025, working toward 30% by 2030 (superseding the 10%-by-2020 target, which had already been exceeded in August 2019 at 13.81% conserved). A new common Departmental Result — "enhanced relationships with, involvement of, and outcomes for Indigenous peoples" — is applied across all four core responsibilities for the first time, implementing the Fisheries and Oceans/Coast Guard Reconciliation Strategy (6f608886df27).

2021-22 (dp-2022, 153e7dc5fdb6), Jordan: The Pacific Salmon Strategy is launched this year as a coordinated response to Pacific salmon stock declines, with the Department reporting it spent the first year on internal capacity, governance, and initiating projects. Mandate letter also directs drafting of federal Aquaculture Act legislation and work with B.C. and Indigenous communities "transitioning" open net-pen salmon farming in coastal B.C. waters (153e7dc5fdb6).

2022-23 (dp-2023, d0b99ea2364d), Minister Joyce Murray: Blue Economy Strategy work continues ("the Department is leading the development of a comprehensive Blue Economy Strategy"); the open-net-pen transition commitment is now dated explicitly — "by 2025." "Next phase of the Oceans Protection Plan" (OPP renewal) is announced as forthcoming. $647M planned-spending decrease from 2022-23 to 2023-24 attributed mainly to OPP funding profile changes, CCG fleet renewal program progression, and Small Craft Harbours funding changes (d0b99ea2364d).

2023-24 (dp-2024, c23b42d58a06) and 2023-24 results (drr-2024, adc4f724dd61), Murray: DFO "plans to publish Canada's Blue Economy Strategy (BES)" this year (not yet published). The Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI), launched 2021, is now organized under four pillars: Conservation and Stewardship, Salmon Enhancement, Harvest Transformation, Integration and Collaboration. The renewed Oceans Protection Plan is being implemented, including an expanded Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Fund. Budget 2022's $44.9M-over-five-years-plus-$9M-ongoing for the binational Great Lakes Fishery Commission (sea lamprey control) is cited as newly deployed funding. Results reported: limit-reference-point stock target of "at least 52%" of key stocks was not met in any of the three years shown (2021-22: 50%; 2022-23: 44%; 2023-24: 45%). Marine protected/conserved area coverage reached just over 14% of Canada's ocean space — well short of the 25%-by-2025 target with one year left. Over $28.4M was disbursed for 46 Hurricane Fiona ghost-gear-retrieval projects. A June 19, 2024 government announcement addressed "the future of open net-pen salmon farming" (footnoted, not detailed in this document). Actual total departmental spending for 2023-24: $4,546,062,407, up from $3,776,827,749 (2022-23 actual) — a $769M increase attributed to CCG fleet projects/operations and Indigenous programs (c23b42d58a06; adc4f724dd61).

2024-25 (dp-2025, 4b38d3d563f5), Minister Diane Lebouthillier: BES work continues ("DFO will continue to work with partner departments to develop Canada's Blue Economy Strategy"), alongside a parallel Blue Economy Regulatory Review ("What We Heard" report published). This is the last archived Departmental Plan in which the Minister's title still reads "Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard" (4b38d3d563f5).

2024-25 results (drr-2025, d58294a09c77), Minister Joanne Thompson: Title shortens to "Minister of Fisheries" — no explanation given in the document. Actual total spending: $5,215,031,054; actual FTE staff: 14,880. Following the June 2024 announcement, DFO published a draft Salmon Aquaculture Transition Plan for British Columbia in September 2024 (over 110 meetings/roundtables held); "work is underway on the next steps" — no 2025 completion is recorded. Ocean conservation reached 15.54% following the Tang.Gwan-ḥačxwiqak-Tsig̱is MPA designation (up from 14.66%), still well below the nominal 25%-by-2025 target. Blue Economy Strategy is not mentioned in this document at all (d58294a09c77).

2025-26 (dp-2026, 88106e7b66da), Thompson, "Minister of Fisheries," under Prime Minister Carney: Title stays shortened; body text still treats the Canadian Coast Guard as fully part of DFO ("our highly capable and respected Coast Guard personnel"). Blue Economy Strategy language is entirely absent. Ocean-conservation language narrows to "over 15 per cent... halfway to our goal of conserving 30 per cent... by 2030" — the 25%-by-2025 figure is dropped from the text without acknowledgment that it was missed. First appearance of the "Refocusing Government Spending initiative" as a named driver of planned FTE reductions (133 fewer FTEs 2024-25→2025-26), with further reductions projected for 2026-27 (-1,644 FTEs, tied to PSSI, Fisheries Act modernization, Marine Conservation Targets, species-at-risk, and priority whale funding) and 2027-28 (-306 FTEs, tied to Small Craft Harbours, CCG fleet projects, hydrography, OPP, aquatic invasive species, and the Circular Economy for Plastics program). The CCG states intent to publish a long-term strategy "in 2025" covering services to 2050. DFO's own Table 23 in this document shows planned total spending of $6,052,547,178 for 2025-26 — the highest figure in the whole archived series — declining to a self-projected $5,085,702,711 (2026-27) and $4,450,492,826 (2027-28); planned FTEs of 14,747 (2025-26), 13,103 (2026-27), 12,797 (2027-28) (88106e7b66da).

Priorities added, dropped, renamed

• Added — four-Core-Responsibility reporting architecture (Fisheries / Aquatic Ecosystems / Marine Navigation / Marine Operations and Response), replacing the earlier three-strategic-outcome / numbered-program structure: absent from dp-2018 (e57efef3fc26), present from dp-2019 (0b6321eee26e) onward through dp-2026 (88106e7b66da).
• Added — stand-alone DFO-Coast Guard Arctic Region: created fall 2018, first reported dp-2020 (827f8ca1cfff).
• Added — cross-cutting Indigenous-reconciliation Departmental Result, applied to all four core responsibilities: first reported dp-2021 (6f608886df27).
• Added — Blue Economy Strategy: first appears as a mandate commitment dp-2021 (6f608886df27); repeated as "in development"/"to be published" through dp-2022 (153e7dc5fdb6), dp-2023 (d0b99ea2364d), dp-2024 (c23b42d58a06), and dp-2025 (4b38d3d563f5). Never confirmed published anywhere in the archived series — absent from drr-2024 (adc4f724dd61), drr-2025 (d58294a09c77), and dp-2026 (88106e7b66da) entirely.
• Added — Pacific Salmon Strategy / PSSI: launched 2021, first reported dp-2022 (153e7dc5fdb6); becomes a four-pillar named initiative by dp-2024 (c23b42d58a06); by dp-2026 (88106e7b66da) it is instead cited as a source of planned FTE reductions for 2026-27.
• Renamed/re-targeted — ocean conservation goal: 5%-by-2017 (met, reported retrospectively dp-2019, 0b6321eee26e) → 10%-by-2020 (exceeded early, Aug 2019, at 13.81%, reported dp-2021, 6f608886df27) → 25%-by-2025-and-30%-by-2030 (introduced dp-2021, 6f608886df27; repeated through dp-2025, 4b38d3d563f5) → 25%-by-2025 quietly dropped from the language in dp-2026 (88106e7b66da), which cites only "over 15 per cent... halfway to... 30 per cent by 2030" — actual conservation reached only 15.54% by 2024-25 (drr-2025, d58294a09c77), meaning the 25% interim target was missed by roughly 9-10 points and the miss is not acknowledged in the text.
• Added, then quietly de-dated — open net-pen salmon farming transition "by 2025": dated commitment appears dp-2022/dp-2023 (153e7dc5fdb6; d0b99ea2364d); the "by 2025" date is absent from dp-2024, dp-2025, and dp-2026; June 2024 government announcement and a September 2024 draft transition plan are the only concrete steps recorded, with "work... underway on next steps" as the final status (drr-2024, adc4f724dd61; drr-2025, d58294a09c77).
• Repeatedly promised, never confirmed delivered — federal Aquaculture Act: mentioned every year from dp-2018 (e57efef3fc26) through dp-2023 (d0b99ea2364d), peaking at dp-2021 (6f608886df27); reduces to a single passing/boilerplate description ("applying relevant legislation") in dp-2024 (c23b42d58a06), dp-2025 (4b38d3d563f5), dp-2026 (88106e7b66da), and both DRRs — no document in the archived series confirms it was introduced or passed as its own statute.
• Delivered — Fisheries Act modernization (Bill C-68): promised dp-2018 (e57efef3fc26) as a review of 2012-13 changes; reported as enacted, with an online public registry and fish-stock provisions, by dp-2020 (827f8ca1cfff); described in dp-2024 (c23b42d58a06) as "the new Fisheries Act... reinstates lost protections."
• Renamed — Minister's title: "Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard" (dp-2018 through dp-2025 inclusive: e57efef3fc26, 0b6321eee26e, 827f8ca1cfff, 6f608886df27, 153e7dc5fdb6, d0b99ea2364d, c23b42d58a06, adc4f724dd61, 4b38d3d563f5) shortens to "Minister of Fisheries" starting drr-2025 (d58294a09c77) and continuing in dp-2026 (88106e7b66da), coinciding with Joanne Thompson's appointment and the start of the Carney government. No document explains the change; body text in dp-2026 continues to describe the Canadian Coast Guard as part of DFO's remit.

Budget & mandate inflection points

• Feb 2018 — Government announces $167.4M starting 2018-19 to protect three endangered whale species (North Atlantic Right Whale, Southern Resident Killer Whale, St. Lawrence Estuary Beluga) (827f8ca1cfff, retrospective).
• Fall 2018 — Stand-alone DFO-Coast Guard Arctic Region created (827f8ca1cfff).
• FY2018-19 — Core Responsibilities framework replaces the strategic-outcomes/numbered-program architecture (0b6321eee26e).
• 2019 (year unspecified more precisely in text) — Fisheries Act amendments (Bill C-68) enacted; Departmental Results Framework amended to add the cross-cutting Indigenous-reconciliation result (827f8ca1cfff).
• Aug 2019 — 10%-by-2020 ocean-conservation target exceeded early, reaching 13.81% (6f608886df27, retrospective).
• FY2020-21 — Blue Economy Strategy commitment and the 25%-by-2025/30%-by-2030 conservation targets both introduced (6f608886df27).
• 2021 — Pacific Salmon Strategy (later PSSI) launched (153e7dc5fdb6).
• Budget 2021 — $300M investment in small craft harbours (218 of 228 planned repair/renewal/replacement projects completed by 2024-25, d58294a09c77, retrospective); Nature Legacy for Canada Initiative (announced Budget 2018) expanded (c23b42d58a06).
• Budget 2022 — $44.9M over five years plus $9M ongoing for the binational Great Lakes Fishery Commission / sea lamprey control (c23b42d58a06).
• Sept 2022 — Hurricane Fiona; recovery funding later administered through the Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund, including over $28.4M for 46 ghost-gear-retrieval projects (adc4f724dd61).
• FY2022-23 → FY2023-24 — actual total departmental spending rises from $3,776,827,749 to $4,546,062,407 (+$769M), attributed to CCG fleet projects/operations and Indigenous programs (88106e7b66da, retrospective table; adc4f724dd61, confirming the 2023-24 actual).
• June 19, 2024 — Government announcement on the future of open net-pen salmon farming in B.C. (adc4f724dd61, footnoted); followed by a draft Salmon Aquaculture Transition Plan for B.C., published September 2024, with over 110 engagement meetings held (d58294a09c77).
• FY2023-24 → FY2024-25 — spending continues climbing: drr-2025 reports 2024-25 actual total spending of $5,215,031,054 and 14,880 actual FTEs (d58294a09c77); dp-2026's own retrospective table shows 2024-25 forecast spending of $5,494,439,682, attributed partly to CCG fleet renewal and the Great Bear Sea Initiative (88106e7b66da).
• FY2025-26 (dp-2026, 88106e7b66da) — planned total spending peaks in this document's own tables at $6,052,547,178, the highest figure anywhere in the archived series; the same document projects its own decline to $5,085,702,711 (2026-27) and $4,450,492,826 (2027-28), and to 13,103 and 12,797 planned FTEs respectively (down from 14,747 planned for 2025-26). The "Refocusing Government Spending initiative" appears for the first time as a named driver of FTE reductions.
• FY2026-27 (backgrounder only, not in this archived series) — the backgrounder, citing the actual 2026-27 Departmental Plan, reports planned spending of $1,885,760,141 and 6,892 planned FTEs — roughly 63% below and 47% below, respectively, dp-2026's own one-year-earlier forecast for the same fiscal year ($5,085,702,711 / 13,103 FTEs), and it introduces the term "Comprehensive Expenditure Review," which does not appear anywhere in the archived dp/drr text (which instead uses "Refocusing Government Spending initiative"). ⚠️ still being checked — this gap cannot be resolved from the documents read for this brief; see Residuals & gaps.

Ontario/Toronto relevance

DFO's archived series shows real but geographically diffuse Ontario relevance, concentrated in Great Lakes freshwater-fisheries management rather than any Toronto-specific footprint. Budget 2022 committed $44.9M over five years plus $9M ongoing to the binational Great Lakes Fishery Commission for sea lamprey control (c23b42d58a06); DFO has coordinated with the Province of Ontario and U.S. federal/state/tribal agencies on sea lamprey suppression and Lake Huron tributary barrier infrastructure (827f8ca1cfff); Asian carp invasive-species prevention work is ongoing, including Ontario-and-Prairie-Region Indigenous engagement on detection and response (c23b42d58a06). Most inland (non-Great-Lakes) fisheries management, however, is administered by the provinces under long-standing arrangements, not by DFO directly (e57efef3fc26). Two incidental Toronto-specific mentions surfaced in the archived text, both minor and non-recurring: the Canada C3 (Coast to Coast to Coast) sailing expedition departed from Toronto in 2017 as part of Canada's 150th-anniversary programming, with DFO providing logistical/scientific support (e57efef3fc26); and DFO funded a live Asian carp educational exhibit at the Toronto Zoo through 2018-19 (0b6321eee26e). DFO's own national headquarters correspondence address recorded in this series is in Ottawa, not Toronto (0b6321eee26e). Nothing in the archived series supports a claim of a Toronto-specific DFO office, program, or economic footprint beyond these two incidental items — Ontario/Toronto relevance here runs through province-wide Great Lakes and binational freshwater-fisheries work, not through a city-level presence.

Residuals & gaps

• 8 of 19 archived documents captured no usable content: fed-fisheries-oceans-canada-dp-2004 (df5a9fd2ab8b), -dp-2005 (8562b8560494), -drr-2006 (16ed8e532c5f), -dp-2013 (20108307aaf9), -dp-2014 (90662a65c9ef), -dp-2015 (48ceaec312a5), -dp-2016 (772ae578c01c), and -dp-2017 (6b16051aa095) all extracted, at the pipeline level, only the bilingual "Information Archived on the Web" interstitial redirect page from publications.gc.ca (~800 characters each) rather than the underlying PDF's text, even though each is flagged status="ok" in the index. This is a genuine extraction failure, not a disclosure gap — the source PDFs exist at the recorded URLs but were not captured as text on this review.
• Consequence: the chronological trace in this brief effectively starts at FY2017-18 (dp-2018, e57efef3fc26). The entire FY2003-04 through FY2016-17 span of the registered series — roughly 14 fiscal years, spanning multiple ministers and RPP-era reporting conventions — is a blind spot. The department's pre-2017 institutional history (1979 creation, the 1971/1930/1867 predecessor lineage, and any priority shifts across that period) rests entirely on the backgrounder and external sources, not on any document read for this brief.
• Blue Economy Strategy: promised continuously in dp-2021 through dp-2025 (6f608886df27, 153e7dc5fdb6, d0b99ea2364d, c23b42d58a06, 4b38d3d563f5); never confirmed published in either results report (adc4f724dd61, d58294a09c77) or in dp-2026 (88106e7b66da), where it is not mentioned at all. ⚠️ still being checked whether/when the BES was published, and why it disappears from the FY2025-26 plan's language.
• Federal Aquaculture Act: promised repeatedly dp-2018 through dp-2023 (e57efef3fc26 through d0b99ea2364d); reduces to boilerplate mentions from dp-2024 onward with no confirmation in any archived document that standalone legislation was introduced or passed. ⚠️ still being checked current legislative status.
• Open net-pen salmon farming transition: "by 2025" language present only in dp-2022/dp-2023 (153e7dc5fdb6; d0b99ea2364d); dropped from dp-2024 onward; last recorded status (drr-2025, d58294a09c77) is a September 2024 draft transition plan with "work... underway on next steps." ⚠️ still being checked final outcome/current policy — the archived series ends before any resolution is recorded.
• 25%-by-2025 ocean-conservation target: actual coverage reached only 15.54% by 2024-25 (d58294a09c77); dp-2026 (88106e7b66da) drops the 25%-by-2025 figure from its language without acknowledging the miss, citing only progress toward 30%-by-2030. ⚠️ still being checked whether any later document formally retires or restates this target.
• Limit-reference-point fish-stock target ("at least 52% of key stocks" by March 31, 2024) was not met in any of the three years reported: 50% (2021-22), 44% (2022-23), 45% (2023-24) (adc4f724dd61). No archived document explains the gap or revises the target downward.
• FY2026-27 budget/FTE discrepancy: dp-2026 (88106e7b66da) itself forecasts $5,085,702,711 planned spending and 13,103 FTEs for 2026-27; the backgrounder, citing the actual (non-archived) 2026-27 Departmental Plan, reports $1,885,760,141 and 6,892 FTEs for the same fiscal year — roughly a 63% spending cut and 47% FTE cut relative to DFO's own prior-year forecast, introduced under a "Comprehensive Expenditure Review" label not found anywhere in the archived dp/drr text (which uses "Refocusing Government Spending initiative" instead). Possible explanations — a Coast Guard machinery-of-government change (consistent with the same-period Minister's-title shortening), a change in accounting basis (e.g., Main Estimates vs. total planned spending), or a real abrupt cut — cannot be distinguished from the documents read for this brief, because the FY2026-27 Departmental Plan itself is not part of the archived series. ⚠️ still being checked directly against that document.
• Minister's title change ("...Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard" → "Minister of Fisheries," first appearing drr-2025/d58294a09c77 and dp-2026/88106e7b66da): no archived document states a reason. ⚠️ still being checked whether this reflects a real machinery-of-government/portfolio change or a presentational choice — dp-2026's own body text still describes the Canadian Coast Guard as part of DFO.
• dp-2018's internal spending/FTE tables (fed-fisheries-oceans-canada-dp-2018.txt, roughly lines 1900-1965) show signs of column/row misalignment in extraction — multiple differently-scaled numeric series appear under a single "Total" heading with unclear year labels. This brief avoided citing specific dollar or FTE figures from that portion of dp-2018 for that reason, relying instead on dp-2019's and dp-2021's cleaner restatements of the overlapping 2017-18 figures.
• CCG's "2050 and beyond" long-term strategy, stated in dp-2026 as intended for publication "in 2025" (88106e7b66da), is not confirmed as published anywhere in the archived series, which ends with this document.
• No archive_status=missing flags or era:pre-web-baseline flags apply to this series in the registry; the pre-2017 gap here is an extraction failure (interstitial page captured instead of source PDF), not a disclosed absence.