Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I've mentioned aquaculture on the west coast many times at this committee, and it didn't get raging support, I would have to say, and I think most people at this committee would have to agree. Last week I spent a lot of time trying to suggest to the committee that we bring witnesses in this week—this day. There were witnesses who could have come. It wasn't accepted by the committee, and now here we are, all of a sudden.
Everybody, I would hope and feel, is trying to do their best for the fishery, but we have a major crisis on our hands in the snow crab fishery. And we have a major problem on the west coast, but it's fair to say that I didn't get a great hearing on Monday at this committee to bring in some witnesses. All of a sudden today it is a crisis.
I believe it is a crisis and I believe we should be looking at it. I just wonder why all of a sudden aquaculture is so much more important today than it was 48 hours ago. I fully agree that it's important. I think members would agree that I pushed the issue as hard as I could. Now this motion comes forward, dealing with a major crisis in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, which if passed without the amendment that's in play at the moment would not mean that we could not call witnesses from the west coast on the aquaculture industry. I fully believe that we should, at any opening we have, bring witnesses from the west coast on the aquaculture industry.
But if we totally ignore a major disaster, concerning which I have a lot of big questions to answer—as to why the quota was cut so much all of a sudden, what happened, what compensations are going to be in place, what happens to the workers.... This is an immediate issue that this committee needs to deal with, and I truly hope that we do; that we deal with the snow crab issue leaving room, at any time that we can, to deal with the aquaculture industry on the west coast. I've spoken in favour of continuing that study more than anybody else here—or as much, at least. But now, to jump on this and to say that we cannot look at a major crisis in Quebec and Atlantic Canada.... I think the committee would not be doing what it should be doing: looking at a major crisis.