Just to add onto yours before I start, Mr. Chair, you've asked that we get that information. I'm hoping it will include the country they fly under, the flag they fly under, as well as, if they've had convictions, the dollar value that the courts have ruled against these companies. It would be nice to have a comparison when the new regulations come out--if it's going to be better for governments, better for ports, or better for the boat owners.
Mr. Chair, the honourable member across the way mentioned that he hoped there would be unanimous support for it, and I hope that all parties will support it. But there are parties in the House that will probably say you haven't gone far enough.
I will tell you right now, from what I know of the people in Newfoundland and Labrador who are concerned, and from what I've heard over the last probably year and a half or two years, the question is, are we concerned with stopping what's happening at sea, the dumping of the oil, or are we more concerned with putting bigger fines out there? Because if we're interested only in putting bigger fines there, then we're not interested in stopping the problem. If we don't stop the problem, we're going to have, year after year, hundreds and probably thousands of birds that float to the lands of Newfoundland and Labrador. All across Atlantic Canada dead birds are going to be showing up.
So are we going to see tomorrow a concentrated effort to stop it, or are we going to see a concentrated effort to basically increase surveillance--which is very important, don't get me wrong--and increase the fines? Is this just going to be a show for the sake of saying we're trying to do something?
I do know that if we don't have cooperation with Europe and the United States, no matter what we do in Canada, it may not work.
I'm just wondering, are we concerned about stopping it completely?