Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak to this issue. I compliment the hon. member from the NDP for bringing the motion forward.
I would like to raise an extremely important issue. This is the proverbial canary in a mine shaft and it has to do with whales. Beluga whales are dying in the St. Lawrence Seaway. The amount of carcinogens and teratogens in their flesh is actually extraordinary. It is a direct result of the pollution that is taking place there.
I would like to present some of findings. Autopsies were done on 179 belugas over a 15 year period. The beluga whale population in the St. Lawrence has not improved at all and scientists are asking why. Scientists found extraordinarily high rates of malignant tumours, perforated ulcers in their bellies and diseases that compromise their immune system. They also found a whole range of illnesses never before seen in whale populations. The member from the NDP described the problems that these intelligent creatures have in captivity. They are no less threatened out in the wild sea.
I urge the government to look into these mammals because they are a harbinger of the toxins and pesticides that are in the St. Lawrence Seaway right now. The same content of DDTs, mirex and other cancer causing agents that we are exposed to are found in these mammals. In fact, the blubber in belugas would be considered to be toxic waste if it were lying on the ground because the levels are that high.
I also draw attention to the fact that the numbers in whale species that exist right now are not increasing. We have heard about the northern right whale in our waters but we have not heard about the blue whale, the largest creature ever to live on this planet. There are only 3,000 of these whales left. Many of them congregate in the Gulf of St. Lawrence every year along with other protected species such as the northern right whale.
Unfortunately the Norwegians, the Icelandic and the Japanese are slaughtering whales under the guise of scientific research. They simply cannot get around the moratorium that was put on whaling in 1971.
Our country has an enormous opportunity to bring the issue to the forefront. I strongly urge the government to work with our partners to stop international whaling and to look into the deaths of beluga whales. They are the canary in the mine shaft. They have high rates of cancer causing agents. It is what we are exposed to as human beings. I urge the government to look at it and clean the area up for everyone's sake.