Mr. Speaker, the United Nations has declared 1998 International Year of the Ocean, in an effort to raise public awareness of the importance of our oceans and of the vital nature of the marine world.
In the Lower St. Lawrence region, the marine world impacts on our cultural and social reality, and it is an essential component of our economic life, partly because of its fishery resources and its potential for the tourist industry.
The riding of Rimouski—Mitis is known internationally in the field of marine sciences. In addition to the Institut maritime du Québec—the only institution to provide a college education program—we have distinguished professors and researchers at the INRS-Oceanology, UQAR's department of oceanography, the Fisheries and Oceans Research Centre, and the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute.
While respecting and preserving marine resources is definitely a collective responsibility, the government must act as a leader in improving management, at the international level, of the world's oceans.