Mr. Chair, funding for west coast salmon stock assessment has been falling since the 1980s. Of course, it was the worst under the former Stephen Harper government, but despite the recommendations from former Liberal fisheries ministers, those funding levels have still not been restored to the levels they need to be.
Stock assessment is particularly important in light of climate change, which, as the minister well knows, is causing a number of impacts on wild salmon on the west coast. The runs are not as consistent as they used to be. We used to have people walking hundreds and hundreds of streams on the west coast to assess stocks. We do not anymore, and we need that information to make good fisheries decisions.
Can the minister tell us if she plans to follow through on the promises of previous Liberal fisheries ministers and restore stock assessment funding?