Mr. Speaker, by now most Canadians are aware of the crisis facing our non-native and native fishermen in Atlantic Canada.
Since the Marshall decision was handed down by the supreme court, the fisheries are in a state of confusion and fishermen are angry at the lack of leadership shown by the Liberal government.
I now understand why the government is negligent in its responsibility to thousands of fishermen and their families. It is, I believe, so that the DFO can institute the individual transferable quota system known in the fisheries committee as ITQs. These would in effect transfer the access of the lucrative lobster fishery from thousands of independent fishermen and their families to the control of a few corporate identities, similar to what was done to the groundfish stocks in Atlantic Canada, thus destroying the hopes of thousands of families in their communities throughout Atlantic Canada.
I would like to fire this shot over the DFO's bow: Please do not institute the ITQ system on lobster stocks.