Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Brun, for coming in and helping us with this issue.
I have a copy of the full action plan. It raises some questions that certainly are stimulating, and I want to thank you for it.
I think it's fair to say that in the course of our hearings over the last several days, and even before that, we've heard what perhaps could be described as contradictory testimony. It's quite a diverse industry, even just the lobster industry. I think you would agree with that.
We're hearing different perspectives on a number of these questions. For example, on the question of the need for additional government involvement in this industry, we've heard comments ranging all the way from “Stay out of our business” to “We want the government to pay us in some way, either buy us out or top up the price”, or various other things. These are the kinds of things we'll certainly have to give some thought to, as we consider recommendations for the minister.
Another thing we've heard contradictory testimony on is the whole issue of overcapacity. I think you've made the point in your comments and in your brief that the average return on investment, or the average before-tax income, is relatively low. There are one or two LFAs that seem to buck that trend. But when we've come right out and asked if they think there are just too many fishermen chasing too few fish—or lobsters, in this case—we've often heard that they don't think there are, that everything is going fine.
So I guess my first question is, do you think overcapacity is the heart of the problem? And related to that, would the alliance be bringing forward this proposal if the shore price of lobster had, say, consistently stayed at $7 a pound—had in 2008 and looked like it would in 2009 and ongoing? Would you still be bringing forward this proposal then? I guess the substance of both of these questions is whether this is about ecology or economics. Is it about the sustainability of the resource or the inability of the economics to really work for these fishers?