Mr. Speaker, I will just take a moment to conclude by reminding this house that the amendment we have brought forward is in keeping not only with Quebec's claims but also with the claims of other provinces.
We will recall that the federal and British Columbia government have agreed, for instance, to a bilateral review of salmon fishing. After British Columbia withdrew from a provincial table where all the provinces were represented, a bilateral relationship was eventually established. The review of the responsibilities should be completed by February 1997, that means in five or six months from now. In the release issued in July, the federal and British Columbia governments announced this as good news.
Our amendment goes along the same lines, more or less. Let us take the time, with regard to part II of the act, to clearly define the role of each partner, their responsibilities, and so on. Let us give ourselves a few more months, to ensure that the bill will have the desired effect, as stated at the beginning, and that it goes along the same lines as the claims made by British Columbia and other provinces asking for the same thing, including Quebec, as far as this bill is concerned.
Asking for a six month period as we do in this amendment, which we hope all the hon. members will support when it is put to a vote later today, seems perfectly justified to me. In terms of time frame, of timing, it seems quite reasonable to table this amendment today, since bilateral agreements like this one have already been entered into in relation to a fee structure in similar areas or other areas. Discussions could take place between the provinces to determine what the needs are. Then, as I said earlier, the role of each partner could be established, so that we could achieve a better result and make this bill more useful.
I will close on this, hoping that the government will listen to these legitimate demands of the opposition for a six month extension through this amendment.
