Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his Christmas gift of such lavish praise.
Is there a similarity between the problems with the Pacific salmon and those with the Atlantic salmon? I think they are equally serious. We know that investments are being called for in order to better protect the Atlantic salmon resource, and the department's response is “No, we will not give you any more to protect the resource, because there are groups in the Atlantic that specialize in resource protection.”
Now, for the transgenic salmon. These cannot be sold in Canada at the present time. I hope that situation will not be changed. Anyway, we do not need that type of salmon to feed our population.
There is, of course, farmed salmon. They are trying to improve its quality but there is certainly no comparison between it and Pacific or wild salmon. That is obvious. At the present time, however, efforts are being made to improve its quality, and to ensure the acceptability of the industry in terms of sustainable development and environmental protection.
I must make it clear that I will never agree to allowing transgenic salmon to be marketed in Canada.