David Anderson

[Fisheries, April 22nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I think the issue of government responsibility for the cod collapse is well illustrated at pages 380 and on in a book by John Crosbie, a former minister of fisheries in the House.

He outlined as minister of fisheries the advice he received from the department which was rejected for political reasons at the time over a period of some four years.

The hon. member may wish to reinterpret history as she will, but if she looks at that book, if she looks at other reports that have been put forward and other books written, she will see that this is not the simplest of problems. It is a complex problem. To have the cod stock recover—

[Coast Guard, April 21st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I assure the hon. member that the coast guard search and rescue vessel will remain at Cap-aux-Meules. We will have the capacity to handle search and rescue incidents from that station and of course others.

As he correctly indicated, some members of the volunteers, the auxiliary, have resigned. I regret that, but we will rebuild that force to make sure it too remains the effective force for search and rescue that it has been over the years.

[Fisheries, April 3rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. I have made a series of decisions and statements. Some aspect of almost every one of my announcements concerns fishing and the need to conserve stocks.

I assure him that I will reply in detail to the recommendations of the committee, and he will see what I want to do about each recommendation.

[National Parks Act, April 2nd, 1998]

moved that Bill C-38, an act to amend the National Parks Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

[Fisheries, April 1st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the problem of coho salmon is extremely difficult. I would point out that another issue has been raised here and that is the fleet rationalization plan which has the name of a former minister of fisheries, now the Minister of Veterans Affairs. Were it not for that plan, the fishermen on the coast of British Columbia would have had incomes one-third less than had he not put that plan into effect.

[Fisheries, April 1st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I certainly welcome the leader of the fourth party's interest in this issue.

We have put out a number of papers recently containing statistical and scientific information relating to the position of coho salmon. There are a number of factors that are important, the most important being the impact of El Nino. I trust the hon. member will join with us on this side of the House in supporting the tough measures that will be necessary to protect this species in the years ahead.

[Fisheries, April 1st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, there have been a number of changes to the overall number of people on TAGS over the last four years.

To go into all the various criteria used to put people on and then later the reasons they fall off the TAGS system would probably take much longer than I have to answer this question.

We will be bringing in, however, measures to deal with issues following TAGS in due course. The Minister of Human Resources Development is in charge of a cabinet committee to this effect.

[Light Stations, March 31st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the question because certainly the issue of saving life at sea is an extremely important one and I know the member speaks with conviction. I would remind him, however, the program did begin when a certain senator from British Columbia was responsible for it at that time.

I will apply exactly the same criteria with respect to the Newfoundland and Labrador light stations with respect to staffing as I did on the west coast. I point out that there has been a long trend with respect to this. Two hundred and twelve of the two hundred and sixty-four light stations we had twenty-five years ago have currently been destaffed—

[Fisheries, March 30th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that just as nobody wishes to switch with the official opposition critic for fisheries, no minister is willing to switch with the minister of fisheries.

[Marine Radio Station, March 30th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we have looked at this matter many times and looking at it again does not make any sense.

We consulted the fishers, the mayors of the region and the residents of the Magdalen Islands on many occasions. The decision is firm, and it is impossible to change it now.