Madam Chairman, I wish to thank the hon. member for his more or less accurate account of parliamentary activities in recent years. I will defend this past year, because as the minister in charge, I made the decisions.
Regarding the effects on New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, there will certainly be some if the most drastic decision is made in connection with the cod quotas for next year.
Without downplaying the effects on these communities, these are hardly comparable to the effects in the Gaspé, the Lower South Shore and Newfoundland and Labrador, where communities are very resource based. In some cases, it represents between 80% and 90% of their revenues, which are not very high to begin with.
This was revealed in the analysis conducted in conjunction with the provincial governments. All federal departments with responsibilities in these areas are encouraged to help these communities as well as the five provinces concerned.