Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank the witnesses for being with us today. Their testimony is obviously truly fascinating. They have shared their perspective with us on the situation in Canada's far north.
Last weekend, I met with a friend of my father's. He was with a filmmaker, more specifically a documentary filmmaker, who is doing research into realities in the St. Lawrence. For example, he's shining a light on the fact that the Beluga whale population is declining in the St. Lawrence, that there are no more cod in the river and that various species, such as striped bass, are feeding on the small fish that used to be part of our fisheries.
All of this is a big challenge back home in Quebec. I'm realizing that, relatively speaking, they have the same observations in the far north. We're hearing the same thing, that they are not necessarily being listened to. In fact, Fisheries and Oceans Canada doesn't seem to be taking your immediate needs seriously, or your wish to improve your observations and your relationships with people on the ground. It seems to me that they have knowledge of what's happening in real time. In my opinion, that's what we've been missing for the past 25 years.
Twenty-five years ago, my father said that if they banned the seal hunt, there would be no more cod in the river. He was right. People on the ground have that kind of knowledge.
How long have you felt that you don't have the resources to do the research? You have greater needs, but fewer financial resources. Approximately how long have you felt this way?