Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.
The marine shipping industry is very important to Montreal's economy. Today, the Conseil régional de développement de l'Île de Montréal, the City of Montreal, the minister of state responsible for Montreal and the Montreal Chamber of Commerce have joined in condemning the user fee policy the minister intends to apply to Coast Guard services.
Does the minister not agree that imposing a fee structure without first assessing its economic impact could have a devastating effect on Montreal's marine industry, which creates more than 14,000 direct and indirect jobs and generates $1.25 billion in economic benefits?