Mr. Speaker, today marks the 50th day of a hunger strike by a fisherman by the name of Mr. Dan Edwards on the west coast of British Columbia.
Mr. Dan Edwards is on a hunger strike to symbolize the hunger and starvation thousands of west coast fishermen and their families are facing due to the Fraser River sockeye crisis which is happening right now. In fact, on Sunday they got together and formed a resolution which basically states that the committee make one more effort to bring all the governments to the table to develop a fair and open consultative process.
I was speaking to Mr. Edwards' doctor the other day. He said that if he continues on his hunger strike any longer, his body will suffer irreparable damage.
My statement to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is for once to get off his high horse and speak directly to Mr. Edwards. He should open a consultative process so that all fishermen on the west coast can have fair and equal access to the salmon fishery.