Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. It's an excellent question.
What we've seen over the past 30 years is a progression or an evolution in the way we manage fisheries. What came out of the collapse of the cod stocks is the precautionary approach. That is then reflected in the modified Fisheries Act through the fish stock provisions in section 6.1 and section 6.2. Those provisions and the regulations that support them directly align with the precautionary approach, but they also provide some level of flexibility for the minister to make a decision—going back to a previous question—in light of socio-economic considerations or other considerations, such as those related to indigenous rights or fisheries.
As a department, we certainly welcome further recommendations with respect to how those provisions, specifically, might be strengthened, clarified or further enhanced. Certainly, those provisions were and are a reflection of the precautionary approach.