Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. As I said before, he has a great knowledge of the fishery.
The member knows that this is the first time since 1868 that the act has been rewritten. There were a great many flaws in the act.
As the member is well aware, the ongoing consultations have tried to work out for the benefit of the industry and the stakeholders in the industry what is the best area of jurisdiction for the provinces and what is the best area of jurisdiction for the federal government. This bill speaks to that. It outlines very clearly where the jurisdiction lies. That was not done by the federal government alone or the provinces alone; it was done in consultation with all of the stakeholders: the fisher people, the harvesters, the provinces, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
The bill is clear. It is very streamlined and simple. It outlines exactly what the provinces will be responsible for.
There will be ongoing consultations. It is not a closed book. If something is not working, then we will talk about it and we will make it work.
One of the things that will happen is that the fishery will be managed. It will not be open for everyone to rape and pillage as was done in the past. All of us know what happened to the fishery on the east coast. We all know what will happen to many other stocks if they are not managed properly.
That is what the bill is designed to do. It is what the bill will do in a fair and consultative way with the provinces and the stakeholders.