Mr. Speaker, the turbot is a miserable looking little fish. Who in his or her right mind would have ever thought it could have rallied an entire nation and why? Because the latest pillaging of fish stocks by Spanish trawlers has become the straw that has broken the camel's back.
Enough is enough, say Canadians. Canadians right across this country now realize that Newfoundland and Atlantic fishermen and plant workers are the unwitting victims here, not the lazy hangashores they have been portrayed as over the years.
The government of this country has finally done what any government worth its salt should have done years ago when I first raised the matter seven years ago in this House. For that, I thank the Prime Minister for keeping his election promise on this issue. I congratulate my friend and colleague, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, for his handling of the issue.