Evidence of meeting #15 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 39th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was wto.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
I wasn't sure where you were going.
I have five minutes, right?
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
I'd like a quick clarification. You talked about the fact that because the EI system is Canada-wide, cutting across all industries, it won't be red-flagged as it were, or red-boxed. Is that correct?
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
However, if I were to say to you that EI benefits are based on the amount of catch...?
Professor, University of British Columbia, As an Individual
It's a separate program.
Liberal
Professor, University of British Columbia, As an Individual
You set the target, right, which is not what happens to all other sectors. Then it does become a subsidy. It's a special advantage given to the fisheries.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
You mentioned earlier the fact that Canada is pretty low on the scale when it comes to subsidies.
Professor, University of British Columbia, As an Individual
Bad subsidies.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
When it comes to the other nations, such as Spain, some of the developing countries, when they treat their fisheries, do they treat it as seasonal work, or are these direct subsidies, straight to the fishing industry itself?
Flesh out how it is they do it so that it is so much more than ours.
Professor, University of British Columbia, As an Individual
One reason is fuel subsidies, for example. China gives quite a bit in fuel subsidies.
Professor, University of British Columbia, As an Individual
So that differentiates.
I have a table here I could look at.
Liberal
Professor, University of British Columbia, As an Individual
Fuel subsidies are clearly bad in our classification. They encourage fishers to go out there even when they don't make money. That's simple.
Professor, University of British Columbia, As an Individual
I know it's difficult to deal with it politically.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
No, I'm trying to define “ugly”. Carry on.
So it's mostly fuel subsidies.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
Do they have subsidies that deal with seasonal work in a general way? Is it the same type of thing for agriculture?
Professor, University of British Columbia, As an Individual
Not that I know about, not like in Canada.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
Not like here, okay.
So that potentially gives them a lot more red flags than it would us. I see.
Let me return to infrastructure in these other nations. You talked about fuel subsidies, how about infrastructure subsidies that they would provide for these ports? I know Spain would probably be famous for doing this.
