Mr. Speaker, off the coast of Nova Scotia near Sable Island lies the largest submarine canyon on the eastern coast of North America, commonly known as the Gully. It is larger than the Grand Canyon in the United States.
The Gully is home to 15 species of whales and dolphins, including the vulnerable northern bottlenose whale, ancient sea coral and many varieties of fish.
For bringing the Gully to the attention of parliament and all Canadians, I wish to extend my thanks to Sarah Dover of the World Wildlife Fund, Dr. Rick Smith of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Elisabeth May of the Sierra Club, Derek Jones of Newellton, Nova Scotia and Mark Butler of the Ecology Action Centre of Nova Scotia. They stress the need for protection of the Gully from deep sea fishing and oil and gas exploration.
We in the New Democratic Party from coast to coast encourage the government to immediately designate the Gully as a marine protected area and protect it for future generations.