Fisheries Committee on Nov. 8th, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

We will call the meeting to order.

We have simultaneous interpretation for anyone who needs it.

I would like to just take a moment to welcome everyone to the committee, to welcome the members of the community and members who are in the audience. I'd certainly like to say how pleased we've been and how much we've enjoyed our trip to Îles-de-la-Madeleine. It's a beautiful, beautiful island with friendly people and with a great interest in sealing. I don't want to prejudge the committee, but I think it's an interest that our committee members share.

Before I go any further, I understand that we have seven presenters. If everyone is planning to speak, I would ask you to be as brief as you possibly can be. Those of us in political office are never brief, but I would ask you to be brief, if you possibly can be, because we have started a bit late, unfortunately. That was my fault, and I apologize for that. We started a bit late, and we do need to try to catch a plane. However, we are here for a very important issue. It's a subject that requires some further study and a subject that we want to make sure we hear your concerns about.

Before I go any further, this is Monsieur Blais's riding. I want to give him an opportunity to address you. I can tell you, as chair of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, that Monsieur Blais single-handedly got the committee out here. He deserves a lot of credit, and he has been a good supporter, not just of the sealing issue but of other fisheries and oceans issues for this area.

Thank you.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

First of all, I would like to welcome you to our part of the country. I would also like to welcome all those in attendance here, as well as indicate that, only a few minutes ago, we had the opportunity to meet with Maxime Arseneau, the MNA for Îles-de-la-Madeleine and official opposition critic for fisheries in Quebec's National Assembly.

I want to indicate that the seal hunt in the Magdalen Islands is of vital importance to islanders, for a number of reasons. Simply put, it is a matter of dignity, respect and heritage, and not only a matter of selling seal pelts.

The committee is made up of members from British Columbia, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and elsewhere in Canada, and they all agree on that point. I consider the committee as an ally in the battle we are currently waging. In my view, the second major battle is getting underway. Unfortunately, we lost the first one for all sorts of reasons. We cannot repeat the same mistakes, i.e., to take lightly what is currently happening. That is why the committee is dealing with the issue and will present its recommendations so that the Canadian government, the Canadian Parliament, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and all other departments can cooperate on fighting this second major battle.

We intend to take up this major challenge, because we are facing off against people using demagogic rhetoric and disinformation and appealing to people's emotions. This is not an easy situation. However, I know full well that the people here have seen all kinds of things. I am originally from the Gaspé and I know very well that we have learned things the hard way. And yet, today, we are rolling up our sleeves to take up the challenge.

In my view, committee members are allies, and I will do everything in my power to keep them on side. I will also see that we can make recommendations that force—if need be—the government to deal with the issue and assist us in the fight we are currently waging.

With that, I would like to thank the committee members for coming to the Magdalen Islands, and I hope we can have some good discussions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Thank you very much, Mr. Blais.

Our first presenter is Mr. Joël Arseneau, mayor of Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

[Joël Arseneau, Mayor, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, As an Individual]

Good afternoon, and welcome to the Magdalen Islands. We are honoured to have your here.

It's a great honour to have the committee sitting here with us today.

We are very pleased to see that the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans finds it important to listen to the people of the Magdalen Islands who, throughout the debate on the seal hunt, have too often felt isolated, marginalized and attacked on all fronts. They were left alone to defend themselves against demagogic accusations of barbarism and other comments that I do not wish to repeat here, because that would grant them some credibility.

The industry representatives who are here today will best be able to testify to this. The hunters and members of the industry will be able to bring you all the arguments you will need to join us in defending this hunt which is part of our tradition and reflects our identity. It is also an issue of pride and heritage, as Mr. Blais was saying earlier on. I would also like to thank him for the fight he has been leading over the last few months, which allows us to express our feelings on the issue today.

The management of the resources is not being compromised. It is important for a people like ours, isolated in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to be able to optimize and capitalize on the exploitation of the renewable resources that surround us. This is precisely the direction of government policies over the last few years, whether they be provincial or federal. They want people to take charge, to diversify their economy and take control of it.

If there is any aspect of economic diversification that cannot be ignored, it is indeed the seal hunt on the Magdalen Islands. This is a significant economic issue, more than just a question of tradition and of identity. The key aspect of the fight that Mr. Blais was alluding to is to obtain, from the elected officials here today and from the Canadian Parliament, unconditional support for the hunters, the industry, the hunting practices and the ways in which the herd has been managed over the years.

We have to have the courage of our convictions and respect the dignity of the people who do this job in conditions that are often extremely difficult. If there is one message that must be understood today, it is that the people here want to get clear support, from every forum available, from the members of Parliament and Parliament itself. This is the key element that we need in order to pursue this fight ourselves on the ground, and we will certainly see a commitment to giving us that support today.

Obviously, within the parameters of the hunt and the management of the herd, Quebec, and particularly the Magdalen Islands sector, must have its fair share. Recent decisions have led us to believe that the hunters and fishermen of the Magdalen Islands may not have been given their traditional share.

I was asked to be brief, and I will give the floor to the people from the industry who have been carrying the torch for years already, and who are committed to doing so once again today. They need the support of the Government of Canada.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Mr. Poirier.

[Léonard Poirier, Member, Association des pêcheurs propriétaires des Îles-de-la-Madeleine]

My name is Léonard Poirier and I am going to speak on behalf of the Association des pêcheurs propriétaires des Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

First of all, I would like to welcome you and to thank you for having come to the Magdalen Islands. We do not often have the opportunity to welcome the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. If memory serves me well, I would say this happens approximately every 10 years. It is all the more appreciated as a result. However, we would like once again to take advantage of your presence in order to discuss a broader range of subjects. The seal hunt is really very important, but we also have problems in other areas of the fishery. This is why we would like to take the time to review the situation of the fisheries in general with you.

As far as the seal hunt is concerned, we tabled a three-page document with you. We perhaps did not make the procedure quite clear at the outset. I know we do not have much time, but I think we have to make a reference to this. In terms of procedure, once our association's presentation is finished, we will move to the second association and then to the third. If you have any questions at that point, you will be able to address them directly to the hunters who are here with us.

You are certainly aware of the fact that here in the Magdalen Islands, our economy depends greatly on fishering and hunting. Currently, seal harvesting is quite a dynamic sector. Several projects are underway that have great potential. There are various avenues that could also be of interest. The Maritime regions have suffered the consequences of the collapse of the groundfish stocks. The seal hunt therefore provides important economic input for us. In the past, training programs were offered to the fishermen. The hunting methods used treat the animals with respect. They have nothing to do with the smear campaigns through which certain lobby groups try and make us look like the bad guys.

Certain factors affect fish species, including the predation of groundfish by seals, a subject that you know very well. You have heard a lot of talk about this, including during your trip. We share your perspective, that is, that seals are major predators of groundfish. What is equally important for us at this time is the effect of this predation on crustaceans and other pelagic species.

We know that the latest estimates of seal stocks indicate a very abundant level for all species. This population consumes an impressive quantity of fish, crustaceans and other pelagic species. In our case, we are talking particularly about herring and mackerel. Seal predation is a very significant cause of cod mortality. Its annual consumption is much greater than the commercial harvest in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. These facts are recognized by people who monitor this situation closely.

According to the latest scientific estimates, the annual consumption of cod could be between 19,000 and 39,000 tonnes in zone 4TVn. The situation is no doubt similar in zone 4RS3Pn. The annual consumption of cod by seals is several times greater than the commercial harvest. As you probably know, our fiishing area, which affects us the most, is 4T. The total allowable catch over the last year for this area was 4,000 metric tonnes, which is very little.

The damage caused by seals is one of the main reasons for the poor state of the groundfish stocks and above all for the absence of any recovery. In this regard, you no doubt are aware that the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, or FRCC, which advises the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, is of the opinion that the recovery of the groundfish stocks is more or less impossible in the short or medium term, given the abundance of seals in the gulf. In one of its reports, the FRCC recommends in particular that the seal herds be reduced to levels that would ensure the long-term survival of the seal industry, and that would furthermore be consistent with the objectives of the recovery of the groundfish stocks. The Quebec fishing industry overall, like the FRCC, is convinced that seal predation is preventing the recovery of the two main cod stocks in the north and in the south of the gulf.

We also have a few recommendations to make. In the document we tabled, the recommendations are on one page and the conclusion is a half page long.

I will give the floor to Jérémie, who is a hunter, to speak to you about our group's recommendations.

[Jérémie Cyr, Member, Association des pêcheurs propriétaires des Îles-de-la-Madeleine]

My name is Jérémie Cyr, and I am a fisherman and a hunter. I thank you very much for coming to the Magdalen Islands and I welcome you to our beautiful islands, as the chairman said at the beginning.

I will now speak to the recommendations we wanted to make.

Given that the current state of the seal population shows us that these populations are under-harvested, we recommend a significant increase in the total allowable catch, the TAC, to a level that is higher than the total population growth rate, particularly for the harp seal.

We recommend the setting of a TAC, a total allowable catch, for the grey seal in the Gulf of St. Lawrence that is higher than the annual population growth rate in order to allow for the development of a potential market for this resource and also to decrease the predation of this species, particularly of the groundfish stocks.

Given that the winter survey was intended to determine the abundance of young seals and does not allow for a precise count of the adult population, we recommend that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans carry out a survey to determine the population numbers in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to identify the scope of the predation of groundfish, particularly of cod, and its prey by grey seals, and, finally, to define a strategy for the sustainable harvest of this resource.

We also recommend the implementation, in the short term, of a rigorous training plan that would eventually become mandatory in order to obtain a hunting licence.

We recommend that the Canadian government create a real policy intended to lift the American embargo on marine mammal products.

We recommend that government authorities put forward support programs for research into seal products and their production.

Finally, we recommend that the Canadian government pursue and intensify its efforts to fight against the actions and propaganda campaigns of the anti-sealing groups.

I will now give the floor to Léonard to conclude.

[Léonard Poirier]

In conclusion, I would say that the Quebec fishing industry remains very concerned and very worried about the excessive predation of cod fish by the seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and as a result, of the absence of any signs of recovery of the groundfish stocks.

Within the current context, we cannot understand the attitude of the Canadian government regarding the management of the seal herd. The under-harvesting of this species has very serious consequences for fishery resources and Maritime communities. There is no longer any doubt about the imbalance in the ecosystem in favour of the seals. Whereas most animal species that have a high commercial potential are hunted by humans, seal continue to receive unjustified protection. The overpopulation of seals has taken a considerable toll on several fish stocks. If this trend continues, other species will also be affected and, obviously, the people who depend economically on these species will have difficulty coping with the consequences.

The situation is critical and requires major intervention and concrete action immediately by the federal government. Current management approaches have contributed to the imbalance I have just described.

Finally, we recommend, from the perspective of sustainable development, that there be a level of harvesting that targets the seals more, and a quota that is more representative of the socioeconomic situation and dynamic of the seal hunt in the Magdalen Islands.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

The next presenter is Monsieur Jean-Claude Lapierre.

[Jean-Claude Lapierre, President, Association des chasseurs de loup-marin des Îles-de-la-Madeleine]

Good afternoon, everyone. I am pleased to see you here. Our association thanks you very much. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to chat with you.

The Association des chasseurs de loup-marin des Îles-de-la-Madeleine, which I represent, has 300 to 400 active members, and between 800 and 900 seal hunting licences are sold in our region every year.

Today, in light of the lobbying by European politicians, who want to enact legislation to completely ban the seal hunt, we are becoming aware of the scope of the damage that these false and manipulated images have caused to the seal hunting activities.

We believe we have almost arrived at a point of no return, and that worries us greatly. Public opinion is completely convinced by what has been said, although it is ungrounded and the facts have not been verified. There is a huge wave that has swept over all of Europe, and now the European government is telling our country that we have to cease this activity, or else they will boycott our marine products.

These political developments led Mr. Raynald Blais, the MP for Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, to take action and Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette to make public statements. We thank them both.

As well, Mr. Blais visited Europe and European representatives were invited to Canada. There was also the visit of the representatives of the European Council on October 26, while they were in Quebec City, where they were able to take stock of the scope of the damage. Moreover, we are supposed to be hosting European members of Parliament November 23 and we are to meet with members of Parliament in Ottawa. Finally, today we are welcoming the members of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, and there may be other efforts under way of which I am not aware.

Finally, something is happening! There is some action!

The hunters are happy about these political developments, but they are asking themselves some questions. Will these actions, as useful as they may be, counter all of the misinformation that has accumulated over the last 30 to 40 years, since the beginning of the white coat story?

Will we be able to convince the representatives of the European government so that they in turn can face public opinion in their own countries and tell the true story about this activity, and prevent the passing of legislation that will abolish the hunt for all time by closing the market?

The third question we have is the following: what other means can we use to argue for the truth and justice to which we have a right under this policy, which was established according to the rules and controls set out by our government, but which cannot counterbalance this public opinion that has been created by emotions and strong feelings? Even in my own country, there are far too many people who are not even aware. The other side of the story has not been told.

Fourthly, why have we allowed members of associations like Greenpeace, the Human Society of the United States and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and people like Bardot, McCartney, Rebecca Aldworth, etc. to drag us through the mud and continue, year after year, to attack the seal hunters and at the same time the laws of the Canadian government? I must emphasize that: above all, Canadian laws.

We hunters are not in a position to defend ourselves alone. This false advertising designed is to appeal to people's emotions and it is very cleverly done, through false and manipulated images, and by providing information that will make people feel strongly about the issue.

To fight against that kind of a campaign requires a lot of money, and we do not have it. We are just a tiny association that was created in the spring time.

Before I conclude, I would like to talk to you about the film that was directed by Mr. Raoul Jomphe, who is from the North Shore and a descendant of the Magdalen Islands, and produced by Ms. Céline Chevrier, also from the islands.

We visited them last week. The documentary was produced by the Société Radio-Canada. The people of the Magdalen Islands will be invited to attend the official launch towards the end of January. I went to a screening of the film with Denis Arseneau, a hunter from the Magdalen Islands, who is here today.

We believe that this film must be shown to members at the meeting in Ottawa on November 23. The film can counter many of the falsehoods about the seal hunt. The film shows true images and contains relevant and unbiased information to counter false and fabricated images, sensationalistic information and emotional appeal.

Before concluding my presentation, I would like to touch upon the issue of quotas.

Under last year's management plan, the quota amounts to a total catch of 325,000. However, Quebec and the Magdalen Islands only received 25,000, whereas Newfoundland and Labrador are allowed to catch 300,000. We find that the quota sharing is completely unfair.

Our share comes out to 7,000 seals at Blanc-Sablon on the Lower North Shore and 18,000 on the Magdalen Islands. We have had to buy pelts from Newfoundland to keep our plant up and running. And even in Newfoundland, they want to process all their pelts. There will be no way out of this. What will we do about job creation and our plant? These are issues that we are currently addressing.

I thank you for your attention.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Merci beaucoup.

The next witness is Roger Simon.

[Roger Simon, Director, Îles-de-la-Madeleine Section, Department of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Chair, I work at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and I am attending the meeting as a resource person. I will not be giving a presentation to the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Thank you very much.

Paul Boudreau.

[Paul Boudreau, Representative, Vice-President, produit du loup-marin de TAMASU, Association québécoise de l'industrie de la pêche]

: Good afternoon to you all. I would like to thank you for having travelled all the way to the Magdalen Islands. That is greatly appreciated.

I would also like to thank Raynald Blais for his excellent work in defending the seal industry, for all the meetings he has attended and all the efforts he has made to defend our industry.

First of all, I would like to inform you that a group is currently being formed with representatives of the Canadian seal and fur industries. I was told that you were given a presentation on that yesterday in Newfoundland and Labrador. That group is in great need of support.

I am the Vice-President of Produits du loup marin TAMASU, a company that processes furs and oil. A lot is being said about the seal fur industry, but there are many developments underway concerning oil, particularly biodiesel. In fact, seal oil has great potential for the future of biodiesel and omega 3 fatty acids. We produce very high quality oil that is rich in omega 3s. This year, the quality of our oil was recognized as being the best currently on the market with regard to omega 3 fatty acids.

I would like to come back to the association with the Canadian Fur Institute, which has already experienced problems similar to those we are currently facing in the seal industry. In recent years, the Institute has faced the same problem with the Europeans, in the fur sector, and has had success in meeting the challenge. The association therefore has expertise that can be very helpful to the seal industry in general. However, such an association needs financial support and other types of assistance from the Canadian government to win the battle it has to wage against those who want to abolish the hunt.

The other part of my presentation deals more with the demand for fair quotas. We in the Magdalen Islands do not feel that we have received fair treatment under the latest management plan. In fact, with regard to the sharing of resources, certain criteria were not taken into account, such as our past hunting quotas. In the 1980s, we had about two thirds or close to 75 % of seal landings in the gulf; today, we have 20 %. That accounts for some 5.6 % of total seal landings. We have not been treated fairly in this respect, because no thought was given to the fact that the seal industry was developed in large part by hunters from the Magdalen Islands.

The other criterion is adjacency. We know that much of the seal herd in the gulf comes to the Islands to calve. In all other resource industries where resources were allocated by quotas or regional quotas, adjacency was an extremely important criterion; in the case of seals, adjacency was given little or no consideration.

We know that, normally, regions that are closest to the resource should have the best access to that resource. In recent years, our industry processed from 30,000 to 35,000 seal pelts. That is a small business compared with the giants in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In addition, because our quota were insufficient to support an industry, we had to obtain part of our raw materials from Newfoundland and Labrador. Currently, the government of Newfoundland has legislation prohibiting the export of seal pelts. There is even a bill intended to increase the restriction and to ensure that pelts are processed in Newfoundland and Labrador as of 2008. By forcing the industry to undergo a complete transformation, Newfoundland and Labrador is simply intent on controlling the entire seal industry.

We find that completely unfair. Our quota should be at least 30,000 hides, which would allow us to develop a true industry here, in the Magdalen Islands.

Thank you for your attention.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Merci beaucoup.

Thank you to all our presenters for some excellent presentations. Thank you very much for remaining as brief as you did. It's difficult when you feel passionate about a subject.

We'll start our first round of questioning. I think my colleagues would agree that since this is Monsieur Blais' riding, we will allow him to go first.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

I would like for you to clarify certain things, which will also help committee members better understand the issue. For one, with regard to the means used to counterbalance the current campaign of disinformation, someone said that it was necessary for the Canadian government to make efforts, be available and support your industry. That can be done by various means.

Are we talking about financial means, and the engagement of a number of departments? The issue comes up on occasion. The seal hunt is a responsibility of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, but the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is also responsible for what is happening and can take action.

I would like you to talk to us about how to organize, structure and carry out the counteroffensive.

[Paul Boudreau]

Well, on that issue, the Canadian fur industry sent a letter six weeks ago to David Emerson, the Minister of International Trade.

The industry has received neither a response nor an acknowledgement.

The file has to go to the Department of International Trade, because this is more a matter of international trade than of fishing. Of course, Fisheries and Oceans Canada regulates hunting, but the current problem is one of trade not of hunting. We have a problem of perception, and the Department of International Trade has to step in. It has to commit the necessary funding and energy to defend our industry.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Cyr.

[Jérémie Cyr]

There is also the fact that the Canadian government is there to represent all Canadians. The threats from abroad to Canadian hunters are ridiculous. We are being labelled as barbarians. That is why we are calling on the government to act through its various departments. We have to do this, because it is the right and the duty of the government to project a good impression. As we have indicated, we are professional hunters and use the best methods available. This is a conviction we share. Because we Canadians are being skinned alive — pardon the pun — by other countries, it is the government's duty to...

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Do you believe, like I do, that the Department of Foreign Affairs is not doing enough? We recently had the opportunity to meet with people from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Well, they said that their work was to hold briefing sessions for ambassadors and their staff, so that they could answer questions asked by people in close contact with embassies.

In my opinion, that does not add up to a whole lot. Anyone can do that. A 1-800-number could be set up to answer questions. What we need is a more energetic effort.

[Jérémie Cyr]

It really undermines the credibility of the department because, from what we have heard, it is as though we have carte blanche to kill. And yet we have specific regulations, the hunt is orderly and there is monitoring.

To come back to those who want to abolish the hunt and the Humane Society, there is something that I find disastrous. As these people come and provoke us on the ice, the managers and the monitors are more or less obliged to divide their time between monitoring the abolitionists in the Gulf and the hunters, instead of devoting all of their time to monitoring the hunters in order to ensure that they are doing their job professionally. In our opinion, the government's image is tarnished as a result, and it must become involved. The people who are organizing these ad campaigns have a lot of money. We hunters do not have the means to respond effectively.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Jean-Claude Lapierre.

[Jean-Claude Lapierre]

We are discussing international trade. Earlier on, we made a short presentation. I always wonder whether or not the politician who is going to represent me supports the hunt or not. It has gotten to that point. In Ottawa, when Céline Hervieux-Payette spoke out, she was reprimanded. We have to face reality.

This disinformation is being put out everywhere. There is a flood of it in all countries. That is why I find the fight so arduous and why we will have to be courageous and provide the right information, even here in our own country, to those who represent us.

I went to Quebec City. I had gone to buy a sports jacket because we had a meeting. One person I was chatting with was quite surprised to learn that baby seals were hunted here in our own backyard.

Our politicians are not well informed. That is the problem. It's one of the biggest problems. Our politicians are not really well informed of the validity of the hunt. We see it because it shows. This is a very irritating factor for the Canadian government when spring time arrives. We feel it in our gut. We do not dare stand up or say anything at all, and we are anxious for those three weeks to be behind us. It is tiresome for the Canadian government, because the propaganda has reached that level.

I talked about a flood. What they did was serious. They paid our people here to skin seals alive. That was done, it served its purpose and because it paid off. They continued to do it. Everyone swallowed what was said about the white coats. I went to the open air base. Later on, I will ask you what your impressions were. This morning we went to the outdoor centre, where the hunt and the tools were explained a bit. There was discussion of hakapiks, etc. Then, we went to see a slide presentation. I would be curious to know how, over all, you felt after that show. Did you come away with the idea that the white coat is very cute?

These are the kinds of factors that can always come into play. We want to hunt. The little white coat and the visitors with their cameras are all very nice; we saw that this morning. I would like to hear what your impressions are on this issue. What impression did you get? There is the hunt, and there are the white coats. The observers are Japanese tourists, people from IFAW and the humane society.

I would really like to know what your impressions were following this morning's meeting.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of time. We had a terrific visit. We learned a lot. It was an excellent idea that I think, quite frankly, other areas could emulate.

Monsieur Arseneau, we are very short on time here, and Mr. Cormier. Both wanted to comment.

[Joël Arseneau]

On that issue, the federal government will, through the various departments, have to recognize its responsibility to defend the hunt as a legitimate activity and also the hunters who are accredited to participate in it. It will also have to recognize that it has a responsibility to defend its own methods and policies for managing the seal herds.

As soon as the government recognizes that it has this responsibility, it will have to participate as much as possible in the local efforts to justify the hunt in the eyes of national and international public opinion.

We have seen over the years that the government is almost entirely absent every time a predictable event happens, like the autumn winds in the Magdalen Islands. Every March, someone arrives in a helicopter and sullies the reputation of the hunters and, by that very fact, that of the Canadian government. Every time, we turn to the government, which is nowhere to be found. It is so predictable.

We wonder why the Canadian government does not make the necessary efforts or does not have the means to counter the disinformation by using the same methods as these anti-hunt or animal rights activist groups who have an organized and coordinated strategy. This is a long-term strategy. We can proceed one step at a time. Once the government has recognized its responsibilities, it should be easy, with the means it has at its disposal, to take the necessary action.