Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition from thousands of Canadians.
The petitioners call upon the Conservative government to keep section 35(1) of the Fisheries Act as it is currently written with its emphasis on habitat protection. They believe that the weakening of habitat protection in section 35 of the Fisheries Act will negatively impact Canada's water quality, the environment and the fisheries.
The petitioners also want to bring to the attention of the House that it is critical that any changes to the Fisheries Act not jeopardize the ecosystems on which we and future generations depend simply to provide short-term profits.