In terms of processing plants in British Columbia, as indicated, we could go back and say there should be a plant in every community, whether it's a local first nations community or somewhere else. In 1919, there were 97 canneries in B.C. They employed 9,000 workers. Most of those were first nations people. You heard some of that history the other day.
I would contend that if we had an adjacency principle that required the delivery of fish to those plants in all those communities for processing there, we would not have a commercial salmon fishery in B.C. today. No one could afford to go fishing and deliver to those plants. Those plants could not afford to meet the rigorous inspection standards required in the international standards of buyers. It is not economical to operate a seasonal operation in every little community up and down the coast.
What you are seeing, in order to compete on world markets, is that fish plants are trying to become more multi-species and work year-round. If you look at a number of the plants that are operating, both on Vancouver Island in certain locations and in the Lower Mainland, you will see that they are operating on multi-species multi-fisheries and employing workers year-round. In some of the more remote locations, where you only have access to seasonal fisheries and little quantities, it isn't going to work economically, unless the government wants to subsidize a plant in every community. That's the only way they're going to operate.
