Environment committee  Hugh, do you think you would be better equipped to answer that question? Is that fair?

Environment committee  As I previously mentioned, there was no consideration of indigenous knowledge. I think that's a huge gap. I think there are some serious flaws in how we assess. We assess on a project-by-project basis. We need to assess the possibility that.... I mean, presumably, this company in P.E.I. is not planning to have just one facility and that's it; they want to see this fish used in the industry.

Environment committee  Thank you for your question. As you heard, when GE salmon was first approved, the public knew almost nothing about it. There was no notification and very little transparency. After this committee reviewed that, as a case study, there was a recommendation for improved consultation.

Environment committee  If we're talking about protecting nature, a huge chunk of nature is not vertebrates. Think insects, crustaceans, mollusks, etc. If we're talking about protecting the environment, we need to protect all of it. Vertebrates make up a very small part of it. We want to ensure, whether it's a genetically modified crab, shrimp or mussel, that it gets the extra scrutiny that's necessary.

Environment committee  I can start. In the situation in Prince Edward Island with Atlantic salmon, it's a hugely important animal in the lives of the Mi'kmaq. There is nothing more invasive than changing the genome, the DNA of the species, and there was absolutely no consultation engagement and no effort to involve indigenous knowledge.

Environment committee  Thank you, Chair and members, for this opportunity. I live in Nova Scotia, part of Mi’kma'ki. I wouldn't be here today if an American company hadn't chosen Prince Edward Island to produce the world's first genetically engineered food animal, a transgenic Atlantic salmon containing genetic material from a chinook salmon and an eelpout.