Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the parliamentary secretary for reading the remarks that were prepared for him by staff in the office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
Why we are concerned on this side of the House is that the science has been done. There were two independent expert analyses commissioned by the department that said that the TAC could be increased, that by bringing in new entrants, we would bring in new jobs. Minister Gail Shea, when she brought in this increased total allowable catch, put in a process to safeguard the sustainability of the fishery. Departmental officials would be working with industry to establish a robust scientific program, as well as a rotational spatial management system, for the fishery starting with the 2016 season.
The science has been done. The industry was going to be part of the very system that the minister now claims he has to set up. Again I will ask the question. Why are the Liberals protecting this monopoly? Why will they not end the monopoly, allow new entrants, and allow more Canadians to get to work fishing on the east coast?