Good day and welcome to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.
I represent the Quebec region, more specifically the North Shore of the St. Lawrence. My riding is home to several Montagnais aboriginal communities.
You've stated on more than one occasion that the aboriginal community that you represent and DFO are at odds over several issues. Dialogue between the parties is more or less good. According to a letter that you sent to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans last June, you'd like to restore relations and work out a sound agreement.
The community and DFO are therefore locked in a dispute. DFO is mainly responsible for managing the resource and ensuring regulatory compliance. However, you've stated on several occasions that you would like DFO to show more flexibility.
Flexibility is hard to assess, because it's not clear where it begins, or where it ends. Can one be too flexible or not flexible enough? How will flexibility affect resource management? How will DFO enforce regulations if it demonstrates flexibility?
What exactly do you mean when you call for greater flexibility on the part of DFO?