Mr. Speaker, it is hard to follow up on a performance like that, but I will begin by saying that I want to bring up the issue of the recent NAFO convention that took place in Lisbon, Portugal. I think it is of grave concern not only to me but also to others across the country and certainly for the Atlantic coast given the situation that it is under and given the previous commitments by the government.
Let me focus for a moment on the incorporation of an effective enforcement mechanism because it did not depend solely on the flag state action to provide for removal from the fishery of vessels that break the NAFO conservation rules. The model for such a mechanism already appeared in the United Nations fish agreement of 1995.
I have one question only. Would the minister explain to the House the specifics in the new proposed NAFO convention that strengthens the United Nations fish agreement? If he could touch upon that it would be greatly appreciated.
There is another thing that is of concern to many. It is something that we have not seen before in this type of convention in years gone past, at least since the late 1970s since it was devised. I want to zero in on one particular element of this particular convention and it is article VI, paragraph 10. I ask this as a point of interest because there does not seem to be a clear answer from the media reports that we are getting.
It allows NAFO to intrude on Canadian sovereignty, if requested by Canada, to monitor any actions taken by Canada in its management and conservation of a stock or group of stocks with respect to fishing activities conducted within the area under its national jurisdiction. This would include the catch and quota regulations, including the foreign quotas that would apply inside Canadian waters up to and including the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Public statements were made by the minister, going back to August 11 in The Telegram, in St. John's, where he said, “Canada will only accept a NAFO convention that clearly defines that the regulatory authority of NAFO is only on the high seas.”
It begs the question, why has Canada agreed to allow NAFO inside Canada's EEZ, inside the 200 miles, and what set of circumstances does the minister see that he would feel it necessary to request NAFO inside the 200 miles, and if he has no intention of inviting them in, why is this clause in the convention?
We have two questions at hand. The first one deals with the agreement of 1995 and just how much teeth the government plans to put into that when it comes to flag state nations, but the other issue which really baffles me is the situation where under what circumstance would the minister invite other members of NAFO inside our 200 mile exclusive zone?