Mr. Speaker, one of the reasons there are cost
overruns in the program is that since the program was announced over nine months ago, my colleague, the minister of fisheries, for reasons that are totally beyond the control of anyone certainly in this Chamber, has had to close down 14 additional sectors of the fishing industry.
That kind of calamity, which is the result of a ecological disaster being visited on us, is the reason why the program is facing the kind of pressures it is.
As I said in the House last week, we have established an independent evaluation through Price Waterhouse which has given us a series of clear recommendations on how to correct those programs. The recommendations are now being implemented, including those which apply to income testing.
At the same time we have to continue to apply the test of fairness to those who have had attachment to the fishery so we can begin to provide an alternative for them to be removed from the fishery.
Clearly fairness is not a word in the Reform Party's vocabulary.