Thank you very much.
Just for starters, Ms. Aldworth, I'd like to say for the record that, boy, you come in here with guns blazing, attacking the integrity of the members of this committee, referring to myths that have been perpetrated, you say, by this committee, and bias in this committee. You come in with an adversarial approach from the beginning.
On behalf of my colleagues around the table here, I have to say I find that very offensive. I'm glad that Mr. Matthews addressed that, because you actually impugn the integrity of all the members around the table, and that is somewhat reprehensible and unhelpful.
I don't come from Newfoundland. I come from Vancouver Island. I also have an interest in matters related to biology. My undergraduate degree is also in zoology. I listened very carefully to the presentation by the veterinarians who appeared here about the kill, about the hakapik in particular, and the evidence produced from their studies, dissections, and analyses of the brains of seals that had been killed. Their conclusion was in fact that the hakapik is a very effective tool and very humane in use.
Maybe you'd be happier if somehow you could round these animals up.... Perhaps you wouldn't, but you were saying that if they were slaughtered in an abattoir, in a closed building somewhere like cattle, sheep, and lambs for human consumption, somehow that would be more palatable. I suspect your group wouldn't support that either.
For the record, I find your attack on the integrity of members around this table is certainly unhelpful and somewhat reprehensible.