As I say, Mr. Chair, that was a very specific point that I raised two weeks ago as to whether or not it was time for the committee to move on to another issue. The wish of the committee was no, it was not. More study needed to be done on this. We had to hear from Minister Tom Hedderson or the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador even though two days earlier Minister Tom Hedderson had appeared before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
In order to provide balance to the witnesses that we've heard thus far, especially the additional witnesses, I really think the committee decided that more testimony was required, that it was not time to clue this up two weeks ago. I specifically raised the point about its impact on other business. That was not a factor. I am now simply saying that to provide balance to some of the testimony we've heard, I think hearing from a former Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Oceans; two former deputy ministers from the province; Gus Etchegary, who represents fishing stakeholders from the province of Newfoundland and Labrador—probably, yes, admittedly on a different side of the fence from what Bruce Chapman and Patrick McGuinness may be on, but still a very valuable opinion to hear from—and, of course, George Rose.... We're hearing from academics on Tuesday. George Rose is a former chair of fisheries conservation at Memorial University. I think his testimony would be quite in order.
I simply ask my colleagues on the committee, in the spirit of what happened two weeks ago, that we now do what we say and let's hear a good, full, broad-based repertoire of testimony from a broad swath of witnesses.