Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I am going to try to answer O'neil's question. We, the members of this Committee—myself or the others—will not necessarily be learning something new. We did not come here with that in mind. As a general rule, the Committee holds its hearings in Ottawa, which means that we do not have an opportunity to meet with people on the ground and visit them. That is one of the reasons.
What will that change? Well, I would like to be able to say that, with the report and recommendations that Committee members will be tabling, a solution can perhaps be found for the problems you are currently facing. But I am not one to be taken in. You know that, and you are living through this. This is not the first time we have examined different issues. We did so for the lobster fishery, for the seal hunt and for small craft harbours. I do not know what other Committee members think, but it seems to me that, without the work of this Committee, it would not have been possible to move forward, if only slightly, as regards the seal hunt and small craft harbours. I do think we have made some progress, even though I do not believe it is enough.
Now, what will come of all this? Well, I think we can exert additional pressure. I think it is important to meet with you on your home turf, rather than waiting for you to come to Ottawa and running the risk of hearing from only a few people. That is why we are here.
Mr. Hunt, let us talk about your experience. You had a feeling this decision was coming, since everyone was saying that 40% to 50% would be laid off. You were somewhat apprehensive, but you thought that, if that did happen, you would be taken care of. But the announcement came suddenly, and you did not feel the Department was there for you.