Let me make two comments, Mr. Chair, one broad-based and on the longer term and the other specific.
First, on the longer-term broad-based aspect, fees are set, as you know, not by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, but by order in council. To change fees, you look at changing the whole fee structure.
I believe the method of setting fees is not a proper one. It's not a fair one. We set many of the fees when prices—not all, but many—were high and fishermen were doing well. Fees were set fairly high. Prices have dropped in some cases, but costs have certainly escalated. The changing dollar has affected the marketplace. The cost of fuel has gone through the roof, and these costs are borne by the processors on the export side and by the fishermen on the harvesting side.
We suggest that fees should be in line with the net benefits to the fishermen and we are moving to adjust that. It's a long-term process that, as I mentioned, has to go through the whole government structure.
In relation to the Quebec issue, last year we said we would monitor it closely. We will be prepared to help the shrimpers provided that shrimpers need help. As of yet, I haven't had any direct information in relation to the price that will be offered this year as fishermen start fishing. We have New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Labrador, and Quebec basically fishing in the same pot, selling in the same market, and processing at the same costs. There should be very little discrepancy among prices offered. Last year we saw Quebec people being offered much less than the others; the processors came onside after a while and offered a higher price.
I'm not sure what you want me to do at this stage. There are negotiations under way. If they are having some difficulties, it's up to them to try to work it out. For government to step in right now and tell people not to worry because if you don't get the price you want, we'll give you money, or to say to the processors that if they can't afford to pay, here's money to pay the fishermen—if that's what they're waiting for, a government subsidy, while others out there in New Brunswick and Newfoundland are paying the price, that's certainly unfair.
We are monitoring the situation. We will step in if we have to step in to help fishermen, but we are not going to interfere with the market, nor are we going to go in and subsidize people just because they're looking for a few extra bucks from the government when others are paying the full price. I'm not talking about fishermen here, but processors.
We'll see what happens here, but we will be ready to move if we have to move to help the fishermen.