David Anderson

[Fisheries, February 12th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, thank you for permitting me to answer a question that is clearly out of order.

The fact is that on the east coast fishermen are offered to fish various stocks. If it is not taken up by Canadian fishermen, under international law we offer it to other nations who may wish to fish that stock.

In addition, there are certain pelagic species such as bluefin tuna where quotas are established for the whole of the ocean because these fish move. Certain nations such as Japan fish in our waters but they are fish that we would be unable to take ourselves if the Japanese were not taking them.

We tried to interfere with the—

[Fisheries, February 11th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, there are two accesses which the hon. member does not understand.

The first is access to these stocks. Canadian fishermen have access to these stocks. It is only when they choose not to fish them that the offer is made to foreign fleets.

On the second issue, the Access to Information Act, I have said as has been said by previous ministers of fisheries going back to 1977, that we will not release information that is contrary to the law. Simply because the Reform Party has a member who has been convicted under the law two weeks ago does not—

[Fisheries, February 9th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I remind the hon. member that I offered these reports to members of the committee last week. In addition we have provided all the information they contain in its aggregated form to the committee and to the House. The information he is requesting has been made available.

The actual observers reports, which section 20 of the Freedom of Information act prevents me by law from releasing, are available to them in camera, so they have whatever they need.

[Fisheries, February 9th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's question is based on a very curious premise.

He states that the courts prosecute. The courts do not prosecute. They determine guilt or innocence, and in the case of the hon. member they convicted him.

[Fisheries, February 9th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, after an examination of the judge's remarks when he convicted the hon. member and also the comments surrounding the sentencing, the government has decided to proceed with the aboriginal fishing strategy because it believes that the regulations under which the strategy is based are entirely legal and above board.

[Points Of Order, February 6th, 1998]

Certainly, Mr. Speaker, I am happy to table the letters of the special negotiator, Mr. Fortier, both to the Pacific salmon commission and to my colleague, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

[Fisheries, February 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I could read the letter again as suggested but it is unnecessary.

I will simply point out that the hon. member has obviously not read the letter. The chief negotiator, Mr. Fortier, did not say what has been implied by the member in the preamble to his question.

What he said was that we are faced with an extremely difficult situation because of American attitudes and the American political system and in his view the unwillingness of the United States federal government to impose its will, whatever that might be, upon the states involved, Alaska and Washington.

That is an understanding which the Canadian government shares. We have full confidence in Mr. Fortier. He was our negotiator for the last four years.

[Fisheries, February 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's question, which is factually based. I would point out, however, that we have not eliminated all salmon fishing, as he has indicated. Certain Metis, native people and other traditional holders continue to fish.

If he, as a member from Newfoundland and Labrador, is willing to agree that there should be a total ban on salmon fishing, commercially and recreationally, in his province, I would be quite willing to discuss with him how we might approach France.

[Fisheries, February 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, first, I say to the hon. member that I accept his contention regarding the decline of the Atlantic salmon. It is extremely worrying. The numbers are approximately one-third of what we expected, calculated upon smolt escapement of the previous cycle year.

With respect to the French, this is the one nation where we do have, within our 200 mile limit, actual foreign territory. Therefore we have made an agreement, a procès-verbal, with the French government to address the problem.

Those islands are there for a fishery reason. Approximately 1.5 tonnes of salmon were taken, essentially for domestic consumption, by those islands. That is within the overall limit—

[Fisheries, February 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the information requested by the chair of that committee has been provided. What we cannot provide, under the law, section 20 of the Freedom of Information Act, is the actual observer's reports.

I have offered the chair of the committee to have the committee examine the documents in camera. What I cannot do is make them public without breaking the law, which this member keeps asking me to do.

With respect to Larry Murray, a distinguished public servant, a distinguished military officer, I find the member's cheap attack on the record of a distinguished person absolutely unacceptable. He should apologize for his cheap partisan attack on a distinguished public servant.