Mr. Speaker, let me first thank my hon. friend for the question. It is an issue that we are taking very seriously. As the member knows, there was overwhelming support from both the people of P.E.I. as well as Isle de la Madeleine in terms of ridding the ocean of this environmental hazard. There was overwhelming support for lifting the barge, as we did earlier this summer.
Following the lifting of the barge a number of boats stayed for a number of days doing remediation in terms of the footprint area at the bottom of the ocean.
We did take a total 20 samplings after the barge was raised, 35 before, and in a number of small instances there were a number of samples of PCBs that were certainly of concern. Sampling continues to take place so that we can ascertain the extent of these samples with the possibility that there may be further remediation.
Both my department as well as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are working on it. In the first days of October there may be further developments that if there needs to be further remediation that we do so before the winter season comes upon us.