Mr. Speaker, today Makah Indians are preparing to slaughter grey whales just off our west coast.
They claim the hunt is an expression of cultural self-determination. It is reported that this in fact is a commercial operation with the Japanese fronting more than $20,000 to promote the hunt and agreeing to purchase the whales at $1 million a piece.
The minister of fisheries has flip-flopped on this hunt four times in the last two days as he scrambles to appease foreign governments. RCMP and DFO officials have expressed serious safety concerns regarding the slaughter of whales in our waters. Greys are notoriously aggressive when wounded.
We need leadership in DFO. What will it take for the PM to realize that everything the minister touches turns into an unmitigated disaster? It is time for change. It is time for leadership. The PM should have fired the minister, not the committee chair.