Mr. Robichaud:

I do not have the details but I will obtain them for the hon. member. I know there are a number of centres. We have a central laboratory in Halifax. This is the central laboratory for the eastern division. We have one at Shediac, New Brunswick, and three or four in Nova Scotia. There is one at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Should the owner not be satisfied with inspections at local laboratories he may take advantage of the central laboratory in Halifax. He may be represented there or appear himself to witness the inspection.

Mr. Robichaud:

Mr. Chairman, I believe the fish inspection regulation applies in some cases to the movement of fish from province to province. However, the Fish Inspection Act is only effective in a province if approval by order in council of the province concerned has been received. I know that it applies in several provinces. In the Atlantic provinces, for example, where the fishing industry is of major importance, the fish inspection regulations have been accepted in most cases in respect of the movement of fish from province to province. The Fish Inspection Act is

February 7, 1968

Fish Inspection Act

applicable in respect of fish moving from province to province if such fish is to be exported. This applies particularly with regard to freshwater fish which moves, for instance, from Manitoba to Ontario before it is exported.

Clause 1 agreed to.

Clause 2 agreed to.

On clause 3-Dealing in tainted, decomposed or unwholesome fish.

Mr. Robichaud:

Mr. Speaker, I am not in a

position to tell the hon. member what branch, if any, of departments of the United States government has been contacted, but I am aware that the Atomic Energy Control Board has been following this incident since the bombs were dropped, and we have the assurance from them to the effect that there is no danger to our Canadian waters.

Mr. Robichaud:

Mr. Chairman, there may have been such incidents before the new regulations were introduced. The new regulations which were passed by order in council dated May 11, 1967, I believe were implemented around July 1 of that year. Since then I have not received any complaints. Our officers are instructed that if they are handling fresh fish the fish must be kept well iced and

February 7, 1368 COMMONS DEBATES 6483

delivered to the inspection centre with the least possible delay. If they are handling frozen fish the fish must be kept frozen. So I do not see any problem. If they are handling samples of canned fish there is no problem, because there can be a delay between the time the samples are taken and the time when they are inspected in the laboratory.

[DOT] (5:20 p.m.)

This is a matter which was fully discussed with the fisheries associations of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and other provinces. As these matters were discussed I now feel free to say that such problems no longer exist as a result of the cooperation we have received. Our inspection officers have had very strict orders to abide by the instructions they have received to this effect.

Mr. Robichaud:

It may be that the hon. member would prefer to go into these details when we are considering the bill clause by clause. As you have just said, Mr. Speaker, normally on second reading we do not refer to the individual clauses of a bill. The remarks which the hon. member is making now are really proper on either clause 2 or clause 1 of the bill.