I will definitely say that the harvesters in our community don't feel there is a mechanism for them to be heard, particularly because most of the young harvesters are leasing licences. They don't have a seat at advisory board tables because they don't own the access. It's very difficult for them to be heard. Even right now with the round tables that are happening, they refer to people like me as one community and then refer to the industry as the people who own licences.
We as active harvesters find it challenging that we're not even considered part of the industry because we don't own the access. The entire language is set up for there not to be a mechanism for our voices to be heard, so we hear that frustration.
When I call harvesters up to say that I'm going to Ottawa and I have an opportunity to speak to the Fisheries Act, I hear the despondence. I hear, “Why even bother? They don't listen to us. We don't have a say.” To me, that's a crisis of democracy. If people—Canadian citizens—don't feel that it's even worth trying anymore, that's a real problem.