Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
On the issue of consultation, Minister, I would just offer the suggestion that a year ago our government and the Prime Minister announced the creation of the Hunting and Angling Advisory Panel, of which every single major angling group in Canada is a member.
So this is probably a suggestion to Mr. Swerdfager, who is undertaking those consultations. You have a ready-made group already in place and I would strongly suggest that this be the consultative body from the recreational fishing community.
In terms of recreational fisheries versus commercial fisheries, I understand that the value of recreational fishing in Canada is about $8 billion a year, with about four million people participating, and the value of commercial fishing is in the $2-billion range. The departmental expenditures seem to be the exact opposite of those values.
Do you see a day, Minister, when the department will begin to place more emphasis on the recreational fishing industry/activity that is so critical to many areas, especially in rural Canada?