Mr. Speaker, this is an example of how the House does work at its best when members can debate, free of the restraints of various positions that the parties have taken over the years on important issues. I want to thank the member for St. John's West for truly one of the best speeches I have heard him give in the House on an issue that is important to him and to all Canadians.
We are talking about areas beyond Canada's 200 mile zone. International waters would be the term that we would use to define those areas. One of the things which I have witnessed since being around this place--I arrived in 1988, Mr. Speaker, along with yourself--is that on this issue it takes not just one minister of the Crown, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, to make this happen, when we are looking at NAFTO and what we would like to see in terms of custodial management of a resource which is disappearing before our eyes. It takes the leadership of the entire government and the Prime Minister to make this happen
We have been here when various ministers of the fishery have had to take some tough decisions, some of them unpalatable back home, and they required the support of the entire government and the Prime Minister of Canada. There is no question that one of the departments that drive the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in relation to issues like this is the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has a lead role to play in this as does the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.
It seems that the policy on this is more dictated by external affairs than it is by DFO. Former ministers have alluded to that, including Mr. Crosbie when he was minister of fisheries. He always talked of the support that would be required from the Prime Minister of Canada and the entire government to do this and he did recognize that relationship between DFO and external affairs.
I am hoping that the member can respond to that.