Yes, I think it is. I think it's been shown to work in some of the coastal communities where they are out there checking people and protecting the stocks. Where there were some hiccups, I guess, was in the implementation of it all—where the authority lies and whether our guardians are allowed to serve citations, make charges or seize equipment. I think that was the biggest issue with trying to roll out a guardian program with a lot of the inland first nations. That came up with the fisheries officers, the DFO side of enforcement. It just became very political, I guess, after that, about where the jurisdiction and authority lie and what kind of role they would have. Would it be just kind of pointing and saying, “Can you please get out of here?” without having real authority? I think that was a big issue.
On May 5th, 2021. See this statement in context.