Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes the need to protect the livelihood of our fishing communities. Budget 2010 provided $7.2 million over two years to support a new catch certification program. Through this program, Fisheries and Oceans will issue certificates to exporters, ensuring that Canadian fish products can be traced back to their origin and back to sustainable fisheries.
The European market alone is worth approximately $500 million annually to the Canadian fish and seafood industry, so this is a very sound investment. Our Conservative government proudly supports the fishing industry—