Good afternoon, everyone.
I feel truly honoured to be here this afternoon. I am the chef and owner of the Chez Saint-Pierre restaurant in Le Bic, Quebec, and the owner of the Cantine côtière.
I am here today mainly because I'm the spokesperson for the Mange ton Saint-Laurent! collective. Those who know me a little better are aware that I have been fighting on behalf of food self-sufficiency for 20 years, and this was central to our concerns during the recent pandemic. We heard a lot about it and realized that things had become a little more vulnerable over the years, which is why we are here today.
I believe that having a wider range of St. Lawrence products on our plates would provide our coastal communities with a sustainable future and contribute to our healthy culinary tradition. Demand for St. Lawrence products has been rising in Canada and abroad. Seal hunt products are part of the picture and provide an unprecedented opportunity that we need to seize right now. Independent restaurants like mine have a major role to play in familiarizing people with little known St. Lawrence species, and in combatting misleading information. We are, and will continue to be, a powerful vehicle for influencing trends and eating habits across the country, and seal is part of the picture.
Having given a few presentations internationally, I can tell you that our reputation is impeccable and that we have the power to help project a positive perception of Canadian seal products, with support from our governments, of course. Seal products are unfortunately not available in large enough quantities to meet current demand, which has been growing beyond the Magdalen Islands.
Please give some thought to the maxim that all of my own values are based upon: "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." The quote is from Brillat Savarin's famous book on gastronomy,The Physiolology of Taste.
On that note, I will tell you that seal is a part of our land. Its historical ties with the people of this country should be maintained and supported. We would like our gastronomy to rest on a diversity of resources, not only for the resilience of our establishments, but also of our environment and our communities. Seal is definitely a part of it.
We established the Mange ton Saint-Laurent! collective to provide support when the government has to make decisions, because we have information that can be extremely useful to it. I would therefore like to thank you for your invitation to testify before the committee.