Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and welcome, Madam Minister.
I'm certainly fully aware of the problems that are involved in the fishing industry. As far as the seal hunt is concerned, Minister, would you please, on behalf of the sealers, ask the Prime Minister to make this part of the talks? It does not have to destroy them. You indicated in the House that this has to be two different issues. Well, we're talking trade, and the fact of the matter is that the Europeans have started this trade deal with an illegal trade ban.
All I would ask you to do is to please ask the Prime Minister to make sure that he addresses forcefully the issue of the illegal trade ban in his discussions. It seems to me a very strange way to start a trade deal by starting off with a trade ban that is illegal.
Will you, Madam Minister, please ask your Prime Minister to make this a very important issue as far as the trade deal is concerned?