Wayne Easter

[Canadian Wheat Board Act, February 9th, 1998]

That is wrong.

[Canadian Wheat Board Act, February 9th, 1998]

Yes, Mr. Speaker. Could you throw the hon. member a bun so we can taste it to see if it is worth all that praise?

[Canadian Wheat Board Act, February 9th, 1998]

The farmers.

[Toy Labelling, December 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is time to clear up some facts.

The salmon fishery on the Saint John River was closed earlier this year in August because conservation requirements were not going to be met. DFO had to ensure that the maximum possible number of female salmon were present in the river to spawn. The closure affected all salmon fisheries including the aboriginal fisheries.

The requirement for the most successful spawning is one male per female. The ratio of males to females present in the river, as the hon. member admitted, was in the order of two males to every female. With this number of males salmon surplus to spawning requirements in the Saint John River a decision was made to take 40 hatchery grilse.

Removing the salmon from the fish collection facility was the safest way to do that particular test. Other methods would have resulted in a higher risk of mortality and could have had an impact on the number of females left to spawn.

I should also point out that they were hatchery males and therefore less important for spawning purposes than male wild salmon. There is nothing bogus about this decision. In fact conservation and science were paramount in that decision.

The facts of the matter are that DFO has the authority to undertake these types of activities under written permissions and licences granted in the Fisheries Act and the fishery general regulations.

These permissions and licences permit the specified activities to proceed in spite of closures. In removing the surplus grilse, DFO first gathered specific scientific information from each fish. Following such scientific scrutiny they were then provided to the first nations, which I am told had expressed an interest in receiving them.

Surplus grilse in the Saint John River were allocated to first nations in their 1997 communal fisheries licences. However, as a result of the early closure, the first nations were unable to reach their allocations for food, social and ceremonial purposes. Some first nations did not receive a single fish.

These fish were justifiably provided to first nations as a partial means to address the food fish shortfall without jeopardizing conservation objectives.

[Fisheries, December 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the minister of fisheries is making no such announcement. The minister of fisheries has been in Washington a number of times and across several states trying to establish an agreement that will protect Canadian fisheries interests.

If the member would not be trying to make the political rhetoric he is he could be helpful to us in terms of encouraging the Americans to come on side and reach an agreement with us.

[Canadian Wheat Board Act, November 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, this issue has been debated at committee and lost. The member is debating Group No. 3 which has been ruled out of order by the Chair.

[Canadian Wheat Board Act, November 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

I want to outline to the member opposite that the kind of competition he is talking about will be the same as Reformers running against Reformers in an election.

[Canadian Wheat Board Act, November 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, that item was tabled this morning. Maybe the hon. member was not in the House.

[Canadian Wheat Board Act, November 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I do not believe this member is talking about the motion before us. Maybe he is proposing a new agency that the Reform Party might support, but we are really talking about the Canadian Wheat Board here and how to maximize returns back to primary producers.

[Seal Hunting, November 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, clearly the seal hunt is being directed according to law.

The facts are that the total allowable catch for last year was not met. There were 261, 354 harp seals caught and 7,058 hooded seals. We can assure the member that DFO is doing all it can to see there is no illegal seal hunt.