Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise in the House to present a petition on behalf of citizens all across British Columbia and, in particular, the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, calling for the independent judicial inquiry into the salmon crisis.
We know that nine million sockeye salmon have disappeared during this summer's migration to the Fraser River. This is the lowest level in 50 years. We know this crisis is similar in magnitude to the East Coast cod collapse, which devastated the economy in Atlantic Canada, and it threatens to affect the way of life and livelihoods of West Coast communities up and down our coast, first nations, recreational fishers, commercial fisheries and businesses. As a result of this devastating threat, our entire ecosystem is also put in jeopardy.
The petitioners urgently call upon the government to get on with establishing the independent judicial inquiry and explore all the facts, consult with all the scientists and stakeholders to determine what went wrong with our salmon so we can take action to ensure we have a healthy sustainable salmon fishery in British Columbia.