Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Lapointe, for being here. Mr. Gratton, if I have time at the end of this, I will certainly ask you a question as well. Thank you for being here.
I want to take the opportunity to use my time here today, Mr. Chair, to bring forward a motion I had previously brought forward on October 30, 2024, for the committee to consider.
I brought forward this motion, Mr. Chair, for many reasons, but we saw it again today when the Conservatives were continually diminishing the impacts of open-net fish farms on our B.C. waters. We hear the argument over and over again about which harms are most important, which is really irrelevant. If there's a harm, it needs to be removed. We don't need to be talking about or diminishing the impacts of one harm by bringing forward another.
It seems particularly timely that I bring forward this motion, given that the parliamentary restaurant and food and catering services only serve farmed salmon. We know also the Liberal government has made clear its stance that they are transitioning away from open-net pen fish farms.
It's for those reasons I would like to move this motion today and have a vote on this motion.
I'll read it out. The clerk does have it, if any of the members would like to have it resent for their review.
I will read it one more time:
That, given that the House of Commons Administration serves only farmed salmon in its food and catering services, and that open net pen fish farms pollute our waters and spread diseases in the surrounding marine ecosystem, and that the government has committed to a transition away from open net pen salmon farms, the committee write a letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons calling for the House of Commons administration to end the practice of purchasing farmed salmon from open net pen salmon farms.
With that, Mr. Chair, I hope I will get support from my colleagues to write this letter to highlight our concern and to ask the Speaker to end this practice so that we can see the purchasing of our food being done in a more sustainable way.