Mr. McCurdy, time is limited, unfortunately. What you're saying is very valuable, but times are changing. We have the European Union. We began with the seal hunt. The EU appears to be engaged in a process. All international experts have declared illegal under WTO rules the banning of the Canadian seal importations by the EU. The European Union is moving towards certification of seafood imports. In other words, in those countries, those importers or exporters that wish to import seafood into the EU will actually have to have it certified by the EU in order for that to occur. Sustainable harvesting practices would be included as a measure for that certification. The world is changing. Is it plausible or possible that the very tactic or tool that you suggest the Canadian government would never agree to will become a pretty big carrot and a stick under pressure of someone saying “we will not certify you unless you allow us access inside of 200 miles to observe your practices and enforce your own practices”?
On March 10th, 2009. See this statement in context.