The EI issue is vital. Already as a result of the decrease in prices last year, we've seen a number of bankruptcies. There are a number of fleets for sale that no one can buy. Landings in areas this year are extremely low, as we expect them to be in the fall. This is on top of five to seven years in 26A, and probably ten years in area 25, in which landings have been consistently low.
At our last meeting in Montague, Prince Edward Island, I mentioned DFO figures that were published in 2006. They put net fishing income in area 25 at slightly over $7,000, and in area 26A at slightly over $11,000. People cannot live on such a low income. If they don't have access to EI based on last year's landings program, in P.E.I. we're going to see dozens, if not hundreds, of bankruptcies. We're going to see declines on many sides in our rural communities—in infrastructure, small business, and tax base. People cannot even go out west any more for jobs, as they've been doing for the last number of years. There's nothing to fall back on.