Mr. Chairman, let me just say that I don't want to get argumentative here and I appreciate the fact that there's a working group now with stakeholders looking at the Southern Uplands. But there was a year when local conservation groups and other groups that were concerned about the decision to dismantle the Mersey River Biodiversity Facility were frankly played along and their proposals not accepted by the department.
I've got to tell you, it feels a bit rich to me because I talked to a lot of them prior and they felt seriously burned that the department is now willing to consult with the stakeholders after they bulldozed down that important facility. There just seems to be such a contradiction in the actions and the words. That's what troubles me. It's not just in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and in Newfoundland rivers. In the Gaspé it was a disastrous season last year.
Mr. Chairman, I said I'd try not to get overly argumentative. I thought I'd share that. Maybe that's another question for the minister. Maybe I'll let Mr. Cleary go on it. He's much more polite, sincere, and less argumentative than I am.