I guess from our perspective, we're trying to appeal to parliamentarians and to perhaps dip into senior levels of this department, somewhat, to hear from them what their solution is for new, attendant legislation, such as SARA. Those cells have been fitted into the department, certainly, and have been fitted into the organizational chart properly, no doubt, and have been billed properly and have had a rationale made for them. But where there is an argument for funding that runs to that cell in that area and that new business line, what we would like, I guess, is that parliamentarians listen to the department and hear about where, in the early days of those branches, they are perhaps underfunded, or a bit shallow—excuse the pun—and can be funded better. So what we want I suppose, is to listen to the department itself.
My presentation here today is appealing to the public service aspect of it, the heritage aspect of it, for sure. Recently, we commissioned a survey, a poll, of Canadians. About 97% felt strongly about natural resources such as fisheries, a figure that was higher than the percentage of those who had regard or consideration for things like arctic sovereignty. That's called the Our Fish campaign. It is a lobbying campaign that—if you'll allow me a second, Mr. Chair—dovetails with this, because it was designed in the wake of our submission to the committee. So I think we have to listen to the department itself.
This is a public service union presentation. But it's not unlike public service unions, and private sector unions, for that matter, to want to support the community and to support rural Canada.
So I kind of steer away from that, because at times we've been questioned about our motives for having that campaign. The Our Fish campaign fits into the Public Service Alliance of Canada's Defending Quality Public Services, DQPS, campaign that we had.