The Fisheries Committee decided, at its May 30th meeting, to gang up on Cummins and issue a press release justifying a junket to Scotland and Norway at the expense of the Fisheries Minister, Herb Dhaliwal.

Mr. Dhaliwal, a proponent of fish farming, is eagerly awaiting a Committee report supportive of an industry now under fire from fishermen and environmentalists in both New Brunswick and British Columbia. Liberal M.P. Paul Steckle said as much in Committee, Tuesday morning, in a debate over the press release, "Mr. Chairman, we've been mandated by the Minister to do this study and we need to finish it...I think it's an industry that needs to grow in Canada and has the opportunity to grow and we have a job to do."

At issue is Cummins' insistence that the Committee demand and take all means at its disposal to get the federal negotiators on Marshall before the Committee to explain their mandate and to produce for the Committee's scrutiny as signed the agreements with native bands. Cummins has also requested the legal opinion on which the Minister is basing his policy transferring licences, vessels and gear to native bands which is causing so much upset for fishermen.