You raise a really good example of exactly some of the issues we're dealing with, and that is the duplication even within federal departments. They're arguing and fighting about who should be doing what. I think you raise a really good example. I guess that's really why we've been advocating for our own national legislation that addresses some of the unique aspects of our industry. It is a farming industry. We're not fishing. The Fisheries Act is about conservation and protection, which is critical, but it doesn't guide a new industry, as you say.
I think that piece is the foundation piece. Whose responsibility is it? We've been less vocal about that simply because I think in the past there has been a debate about whether it should be Agriculture or DFO, and as a result it got into that kind of jurisdictional debate and never went anywhere.
We've been trying to elevate the discussion to the importance for Canada to take the opportunity for increasing the production of a healthy nutritious seafood that Canadians need, reducing imports of seafood, allowing expansions, all these positive benefits. We've been trying to elevate the discussion to that so that it's a win-win and less about the details of who's responsible.
I think some of our members have specific ideas about that, but from our perspective, we really just want to have a national vision, and it really is the federal government that needs to say, “We want a farmed seafood industry. We want to be competitive. It's a growing industry. We know we need to produce protein for the world. Let's get behind it.”
That's really what we're advocating for, a national vision, and from that, regulatory reform and a national aquaculture act. It may be less important who's responsible.