Mr. Speaker, let me say first that I think the member who has raised the question would be the first to admit that the specific questions he raises are immensely complex, both in scientific and legal terms. However, I agree absolutely with the point of the member's question, which is that the federal government has to be prepared to allocate the appropriate resources to ensure that we come up with answers to those questions.
The situation that the member describes in his own riding is one that is recognized by all of us who represent coastal communities. It is a problem that results from the crisis management approach that this Liberal government and the Conservative government before it took by not recognizing that the concept of sustainability is absolutely crucial. It is not a matter of unilateral regulations imposed by the federal government; it is a matter of recognizing that there have to be appropriate restrictions on fishing efforts for the benefit of all who are involved in the current fishery and those who want to depend on the fishery in the future.
It is a matter of recognizing that solutions have to be local, regional, national and international. That is why it is so important that we have international fishery agreements such as the one that is under discussion.
It is a complicated scientific and legal issue and it is incumbent upon all of us to put pressure on the federal government to allocate the appropriate resources and to give the kind of respect that is needed to local fishers being involved in helping to devise the scheme and the regime that will govern the current and future fishery and to ensure that it is sustainable.