Mr. Speaker, I want to present this petition on behalf of residents of Newfoundland and Labrador regarding the fishery and their questioning of fisheries management and the issues surrounding the management of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
They note that the Government has dismantled fisheries management within the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The department has made wrongful decisions in managing the fish stocks and the new structure of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans must take into account the culture and heritage of those working in and depending on the industry.
The petitioners go on to say and request that the government dismantle the current structure of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, put in place a model that takes into account fisheries science as a precedent in all decision-making and take into account the historical connection of fisheries management to the east coast especially, Newfoundland and Labrador in particular.