Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Minister, I thank you and your staff for coming today.
I'm going to preface my remarks, because you're here, with four things. I was wondering if it's possible to get briefings or letters on them later.
First, how is the coast guard replenishment of the 12 midshore vessels going along?
Then there is the halibut concern, and the allocation for the recreational and the commercial sector. I had a briefing with Mr. Bevan, which I really appreciated, but can we get something on how that process is going?
Also, once you've had your meeting with the various ministers and stakeholders on the lobsters, is it possible for the committee to get an up-to-date synopsis of where we're going forward on this?
As well, I asked the parliamentary secretary last Friday about the fact that not one fish species has ever been listed under SARA. The great basking shark off the west coast is in extreme peril right now. I'm just wondering why that fish, for example, would not have been listed under that particular act, but that's for later.
I just wanted to show you something here. This is a beautiful, as they say en français, chapeau de phoque , a seal hat. Now, Minister, you're the Minister of Fisheries. Can you or the deputy minister or the ambassador, who's from Newfoundland, tell me by looking at it if it was caught by an Inuit person or a non-aboriginal person?