Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Finnigan.
I just have one question. DFO did some outreach meetings throughout Newfoundland and Labrador over the past month or several months. During constituency week, three of them were done in my riding, and I attended them.
At each of those meetings I was asked about an area that was recently identified offshore of Newfoundland as a marine protected area or to be considered for one. Fishermen were concerned that they were being told they would not be able to drop a hook but that the oil and gas industry would be able to continue its seismic and oil exploration work.
Can you confirm for me if those are the actual facts or not? Why would we allow that sort of activity to take place but yet fishermen or a fishing enterprise can't take a fish out of the water in the same area?