Mr. Speaker, I would very much like to thank the member from Labrador for his important question. I commend him and his colleagues from Newfoundland and Labrador for making this a priority issue.
Since December 2004 I have raised this issue repeatedly with the EU trade commissioner and our EU counterparts. I have met with the shrimp industry in Newfoundland. My officials have ongoing meetings with the Fisheries Council of Canada and the Association of Seafood Producers. In addition, I have instructed our EU trade commissioners to make it a priority issue to get those shrimp into Europe.
In the WTO, we are working through the NAMA provisions on a sectoral basis to try to create free trade in fisheries. I spoke with an EU official this morning and I will be meeting with the premier and the fisheries minister this afternoon.