Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister, congratulations on being appointed the newest Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
I join many Canadian harvesters, anglers and service providers in hoping you will do better than the five predecessors appointed by your Prime Minister over the past eight years. That record of failed appointments started off with Minister Tootoo, whom we barely got to know before he was replaced by Minister LeBlanc, who was chased from the portfolio by conflict of interest in the clam scandal. Next, we had Minister Wilkinson, who said Pacific salmon needed improved habitats, then went on to defer, for decades, the implementation of Canada's first waste-water treatment standards, which were introduced by a Conservative government. Then Minister Jordan put B.C. aquaculture workers on notice, but failed to provide a transition plan for the workers and their communities. The appointment of Minister Murray sparked some hope in B.C. that the workers and harvesters in B.C. who were being put out of work by the government's policies might see some relief, but instead we saw job losses and litigation.
Minister, will you be different from your predecessors, or are you going to continue this sad legacy for the Canadians and jobs relying on Canada's fisheries?